Gday guys,

I wanted to post up these images, by Fernando Menis (http://www.menis.es/), to stimulate some disscussion about how I might go about creating renderings of this kind of quality/materiality.

Do you think it would be possible to do these types of renderings in Maxwell?

I've all but given up on Maxwell. There is not doubt that an artist can get great using it, but who really has the time. Maxwell is great for creating "art". In my real world job with deadlines and constant changes, it is not useable.

I think with the proper planning that you can produce these kind of images with a lot of different software. I'm sure there is a lot of postwork. With alpha maps for all your materials and skillful work in Photoshop, anything is possible.

Look at Nicholas Riveras's (sp?) work with Artlantis. I've seen more images that suck at the Artlantis site, but he has got a technique and system down that just makes Artlantis images shine and I bet it doesn't take 14 hours to render his images.

I don't mean to be Nancy Negative about Maxwell, but I wouldn't limit myself to JUST Maxwell.

Here is a sectional sketch of the space I want to do a rendering of. (The viewpoint will be looking up the box).

There is a brick skin, with a glass box of books protected inside, this space between the brick skin and the box of books is open to the sky, light and rain cascading in.

I was hoping to maybe get the light shinning in and maybe represent some rain also.

Thoughts?

Look at Nicholas Riveras's (sp?) work with Artlantis. I've seen more images that suck at the Artlantis site, but he has got a technique and system down that just makes Artlantis images shine and I bet it doesn't take 14 hours to render his images.

I don't mean to be Nancy Negative about Maxwell, but I wouldn't limit myself to JUST Maxwell.

Yeah but he himself has said that it takes him days to setup the rendering!

And it sound like you are being Nancy Negative!!!! hehe!!!

Hey Jesse

You certainly could get that sort of output with maxwell and ps combined! the rain effect you are after could be achieved with clip maps or post processing! Though seriously I think even jake would suggest Piranasi (spelling) might be a better shot for the effect!

Check out Maxer's (I think) gallery on the maxwell forum I think he has this sort of stuff pretty down pat!

Cheers to you both!!!!!

Oh Richard, you're such a Maxwell fanboy!:poke fun:

Yea, I guess you can spend 2 days setting it up and 4 hours rendering or 4 hours setting it up and 2 days rendering.

Piranesi might be a way to do it but the rain effect might still be tough. The moody, dark look with bloom effect (images Jesse posted) will require lots of handwork in Photoshop. One advantage Maxwell has–it will give a similar grainy quality to the image.

Also, I guess should be careful when using the word "Nancy" around you Aussies.:eek:

I’ll gladly admit to being a Maxwell fanboy, so no need for pointing it out:rock on:. (I also have ArtLantis, Vue and some other stuff, but with my limited skill I can not produce nice pictures in the other ones. I usually render final images over-night, so I don’t mind the long wait).
That reference picture looks a bit like the church of light. This type of image is so much about the light, so I think Maxwell will be the tool of choice here. The rain will be the tricky part regardless of what software you use. Some time back I did a few tests with clip mapped rain, but I wasn’t happy with the first results I got.
For those textures I would look at the Arroway maps. (www.arroway.de).
Your sketch is a bit sketchy, why don´t you make a skippy and let us play with it.
Sheik

Your sketch is a bit sketchy, why don´t you make a skippy and let us play with it.
Sheik

Funny you would say that. I did a quick, and I'm sure very inaccurate interpretation of the drawing in SketchUp, rendered in Modo and finished in Photoshop. One hour just goofing around. I'll add some bump to materials later.

Rain was done by bastardizing the stainless steel technique. Start with a white layer, add noise, motion blur, sharpen, adjust, distort to match perspective (kinda) and multiply layer. Adjust to liking. Added a little bloom too.

Not great, but not bad for an hour. Pretty moody. Sorry about the design interpretation Jesse.

I've all but given up on Maxwell. There is not doubt that an artist can get great using it, but who really has the time. Maxwell is great for creating "art". In my real world job with deadlines and constant changes, it is not useable........................................... ..................................................
I don't mean to be Nancy Negative about Maxwell, but I wouldn't limit myself to JUST Maxwell.

Jake, you can get a clean Maxwell Render image in 14 hours? :not worth I am neither a NN or a FB, just a 'Realist' ;) Nice work Jake

Not great, but not bad for an hour. Pretty moody. Sorry about the design interpretation Jesse.

Well who's the smarty boy then just to add another (NN, FB, SB), that looks good mate! One hour you say!! Hmmmm! :craqueur:

Jake

Mate you also have to realise you like Biebel have a nack for picking up a renderer and pulling good results straight from the box! The rest of us just wish! That is what I like about maxwell, these days I render everything with multilight turned on that way for camera settings all I need to think about is fstop and adjust everything else to get the right lighting once the render is complete!

This is something I find missing from the rest!

Well done Jake! Jesse is getting off way too easy on this project. Maybe I should get to work on the description and site plan for you mate! The quick render looks good and shows a lot of potential. The rain trick is a good one, I'll bookmark that.

Your sketch is a bit sketchy, why don´t you make a skippy and let us play with it.
Sheik

Here is the SU model, have a play!

Funny you would say that. I did a quick, and I'm sure very inaccurate interpretation of the drawing in SketchUp, rendered in Modo and finished in Photoshop. One hour just goofing around. I'll add some bump to materials later.

Rain was done by bastardizing the stainless steel technique. Start with a white layer, add noise, motion blur, sharpen, adjust, distort to match perspective (kinda) and multiply layer. Adjust to liking. Added a little bloom too.

Not great, but not bad for an hour. Pretty moody. Sorry about the design interpretation Jesse.

Thats it!, fuck yeah. Thats looking great.

I had a go. How did you get the rain looking so elongated and white/contrast?, the rain really looks like its coming down on your head in yours.

ALSO, feel free to critique the design!, do you think I need more room around the box? - theres currently 4m (there will be a 1800mm stair in this space on 2 sides of the box, running all the way up).

Well done Jake! Jesse is getting off way too easy on this project. Maybe I should get to work on the description and site plan for you mate! The quick render looks good and shows a lot of potential. The rain trick is a good one, I'll bookmark that.

Get to work Jimmern!, you slacker. I expect to get the siteplan by the end of the day!

Here is a section.

As said please feel free to critique the design!

Well who's the smarty boy then just to add another (NN, FB, SB), that looks good mate! One hour you say!! Hmmmm! :craqueur:

I'd rather be a Smarty Boy than a Nancy Boy!

OK . . . 1 hour and some change, but not much more. I guess my point is that you can get some pretty good effects with just about anything out there. We spend to much time considering the technical qualities of a render and forget about just trying to evoke an emotion. I can hear you all starting to doze off, so I'll stop.

Here's a link to a stainless tutorial. No sense reinventing the wheel. Basically the same thing I did except I did a little erasing here and there and adjusting contrast.

Jesse,
Duplicating the rain layer and changing the duplicate to "Multiply" will sharpen up the results. Then you can play with the opacity to get it where you want it. I think that will help.

When I get time I'll make a pdf of the process and post it in case this link goes offline.

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/realistic-stainless-steel-background-and-text-photoshop-tutorial/

Jesse,

Can you describe the motive for the box in a box? (Local studies node). You mention brick as a material earlier, but that seems it would be pretty overpowering at that scale and it is a bit claustrophobic inside. If the outside box is there to help define the street line then maybe a metal lattice or screen, or a series of large penetrations in the outer box will allow the outside shape define the space but open the interior up a bit.

Just a thought.

Thought I would give this a quick bash myself, I made a little more room around the box as I felt it was quite claustrophobic, theres an extra 2 meters on each side..

Those Fernando Menis images are really fantastic, like has been said by others here I'd imagine you could achieve these results with numerous rendering programmes (My attempt is with podium and photoshop) the skill would be in assigning materials to the render to give it soul and real visual dynamic. The Menis images have a wonderful contrast going on which makes them so powerful.. and the materiality seems the perfect rough canvas to display these shadows and lights. I like your render (out of curiosity I was wondering just how you obtained that particular perspective? It shows the full height of the box whilst showing the opening to the sky, is it something like a fisheye perspective? it's really good!) But I think what it is lacking when compared to those Fernando renders is the contrast and overall raw aesthetic they evoke.