Hi, here’s a Blender model I just finished, it’s the first time I’ve actually used an HDRI as both the main lighting source and the visible background. I’m pretty happy with the results. I often use the old trick of using an image plane for the sky background, but using the HDRI gives a much more convincing result in my opinion, especially in this case with all the reflecting water.
Enjoy, and please, any comments/criticism/questions very welcome!
I love it! 
Absolutely stunning. Id love to know a little bit about how you texture a scene like this? I always struggle when there is a lot of exposed brick like this.
Hey I mostly go to Ambient CG for textures, and decals decals decals! I think they’re an important key to realism, e.g. the water marks on the stone walls at the water line, all decals. Adding some ambient grunge to surfaces helps a lot too.
I featured you on BlenderNation, have a great weekend!
Very very very detailed…
Absolutly stunning work Fred ! You improved so much is so little time that is actually crazy
( Only little downside for me is the water, I actually thought it was a real picture until I watched the water, could use a bit of details but I know how hard water can be ), other than that, really great job !
Some rather lovely work in terms of image composition and modeling.
That said, personally I’m not really sold on the grading here.
It effectively reminds me of that kind of photographic works which get usually (miss-) labled HDRIs on Flickr, but of course in technically precise terms aren’t any such thing like an HDRI at all but rather the result of cramming the dynamic range represented in an actual HDRI down into sRGB range via some weird tonemapping-process.
In my opinion those look hideous in their weird, paradoxical and most unnatural combination of washed out colors and a certain dullness and unfittingly high contrast at the same time.
greetings, Kologe
Hey thanks Leo I really appreciate that. I appreciate the tips I’ve gotten from you as well!
The water’s pretty detailed, but it’s blurry in the foreground with the camera depth of field I went with, maybe that wasn’t the best choice. It’s got bubbles, varying areas of roughness, a little foam where it’s up against surfaces like the walls…
I’m not sure I follow all that but thanks for the input!
Looks great, just like a HDR photo
You modeled this?!?! WOW! This looks gorgeous! Great work! 
Well the large castle on the right is from Kitbash; I modified the textures, added internal lights etc. Distant buildings are from an add on called Urbanic that’s awesome. The rest I modeled yes. Sometimes it’s fun to model everything, sometimes it’s fun not to 
