EAlexander

Outcome from a lighting metal surfaces demo with Corona.

Hi Phil, That looks like a nice plugin for Illustrator. I don't actual do much work with illustrator anymore and do almost all of my vector work in.....Vectorworks 🙂 Not sure if it's still being developed, but there is a version of Lightwave CAD for Cinema4D: http://www.lwcad.com/html/main/new.php Though this won't help with you VW workflow, but worth mentioning. Good luck on your journey - let me know if I can answer any questions along the way. e.

Hi again, You have to keep in mind that Cinema is a polygon based modeler and Vectorworks is a NURBS based modeler. You will find that moving your Cinema models into VW beyond frustrating. They will only import as generic meshes which are heavy and will bog VW to a grinding halt. Altering those models within VW is almost impossible. Sorry for more bad news. The general workflow is to model in VW - use that model for your drafting plates and move it to Cinema for texturing, lighting and camera work. VW moves models into C4D pretty well - it still triangulates a lot of stuff, but it works. Going the other way is a nightmare. Modeling in VW is a totally different game then Polygonal box or hard surface modeling in Cinema. VW was a 2D CAD program for a long time and then added 3D. Cinema is a 3D DCC app that can import Cad data. Apples and Oranges. I'm not saying it's perfect - far from, but I haven't found a better combo for drafting plates and getting good renders from the same model (without going to Autodesk (see below). Agreed on AutoCAD. My frustration with VWs direction has made me re-evaluate AutoCAD recently and....no way.

Trout.

@Freemorpheme - this is all built in Corona using its native material system.

One more from this series.

@DasFrodo Thanks very much! Here's another with the Mini.

@deck - Thank you so much! The University of Phoenix stadium took about 5 days to build out in CAD. This was originally for the Katy Perry Super Bowl Halftime show. I re-rendered it recently since I was leading a class in venue buildout (and I originally did it all in Physical). I get 2D AutoCAD or REVIT files to work from and I build it out in Vectorworks. The model stays there for my CAD work on the production design and I push it to Cinema for renderings. The overall scope of the project was about 5 months - so since we lived with the model for so long, it's worthwhile to build it right from the get go. Some of the stadiums are really symmetrical and you can build out a quart of it and then mirror, but this one was unique in each quadrant.

Agreed. It's the same paint materials in all the shots. I think it needs more of a micro bump to break it up. I didn't build a proper car shader, just tossed them together in Corona. Thanks for looking!

Few more skillet shots.

First renders off the new laptop. Model by CG Trader - rendered with Corona.

Some quick renders for Dermot Kennedy's current world tour.

Everfresh basically summed up my experiences as well.

Keep going!

University of Phoenix Stadium build out. Modeled in Vectorworks and clay rendered with Corona for Cinema 4d.

A big part of my client work is to model live show venues in CAD. Park Ave. Armory in New York City.

Redshift volumetric passes for some concert tour production design earlier this year.

Soundstage build out for an upcoming Netflix documentary.

Looks super cool!

Yes - I always do post work. Almost all images have an exposure adjustment layer to get the brightness/darkness balanced. I usually add a color balance adjustment layer as well to play with warming or cooling the image off more. Then lots of these have a Color Lookup adjustment layer (LUT) applied. The more you do it the more you know when you have to get it done in 3d and when you can do it in post. I save out everything as PSD 16bit from Cinema and sometimes I run the Camera Raw Filter, but I like to keep adjustment layers so I can keep tweaking with ease. Color grading can really push your images, so getting that into your workflow is important. I also have Magic Bullet Looks and use that sometimes. I find it's Chromatic Aberration to be superior to Photoshop. For lighting I suggest studying cinematography of film. I'm trained as a stage and opera designer and I'm married to a lighting designer, so lighting is a big part of my life all around. Take a look at Matthew Scotts' website - under lighting he shows commercial shots and setups and then diagrams the lighting - really great way to see it in action: http://mattscottvisuals.com/lighting And - as always - just make as many images as you can and put them out there in the world.

Thanks - o big secrets over here. I use corona (which is awesome) and has a very nice denoiser. Most of these shots are rendered in about 6-7 minutes on a 10 core windows machine - so no magic there. I use area lights for everything and try to use lights more then HDRI whenever possible. Just gives me more control. When I have a few moments I'll post a scene file you can dig around in (though you'll need Corona). Thanks for looking and always happy to answer any questions. -evan

Its there - you just have to scroll and scroll way down there. Not a lot of action in there since it is hard to find. Its the last option under the Lighting and Rendering (Native) section.