Rendering better cars

Although automotive images are a standard component of many aspiring 3D artists’ portfolios, it’s not unusual to see a great bit of modelling spoilt by an uninspired render. Yet often, all that is needed to turn a mediocre image into a great one is attention to a few simple guidelines.

Your model is the obvious key to success. Create as much detail as you possibly can – after all, you’re trying to recreate reality and make the viewer believe the car they’re looking at is real. In particular, vehicles are focused around their surfaces. This may sound obvious, but the quality of your surfacing is so important to show off the all-important highlights.

To get this right, you need reference material. A certain amount of visual trickery is always required to fool the eye, but when you’re going all-out for reality, the fine details will really show up. Check out as many real images as you can, looking for ones that are similar both to the type of car and type of shot you are using.

Also pay attention to the scene within which the car is placed. Try to avoid applying stock reflection maps of an industrial scene or desert, and then showing your car in a studio environment!

The annotations show some of the other points to consider when rendering an image of this type. The set-up and rendering of this image took about two days using Maya. At a later point, I tweaked a few shaders and played with camera angles and depth of field, and I also used a Global Skylight lighting set-up.

The rendering engine you use will vary according to your preferred 3D package, so try to adapt these guidelines to fit your own tools. Ultimately, there’s little substitute for putting in the hours, so set yourself manageable goals with specific aims and deadlines. Then get stuck in and enjoy it – find your style, perfect it and then work on those skillsets that need developing.