I spent a decent amount of time trying to figure out what makes my render look weird, I came to the conclusion that I need feedback from a new set of eyes. I would be very grateful for your criticism.
5 Likes
Hey! First off, I would like to say that your work looks great! Good job. Also, I would like to clarify that I am no expert lol so most of what i say is just my gut feeling.
Firstly, I would suggest working with the cameraâs positioning. I dont know how tall the robots are but i get the feeling that the camera isnt at human eye level. If it is though then I would maybe suggest bringing the camera closer to get the feeling that the viewer is below the robots.
Second, I feel like the robots blend in with the trees too well. I know that is the purpose of them being that color (to camoflauge) but i think its working too well to where the eye isnt drawn to the robots as much as it should be. For this i would maybe darken the material on the trees. The sun is also doing some work on exposing the robots a little more so maybe you could tweek the value on that?
2 Likes
There is a Blender speech where this blenderhead talks about âthe intention of the shotâ. Imagine you are there taking a picture of the war machines. Would you stand in front of it 4 meters above the ground? Or would you hide behind a bush and keep yourself as small as possible taking this picture?
Edit: Just a small edit
5 Likes
couple of initial thoughts -
-
iâm not sure if itâs 2 separate robots, or 1 robot with 2 turrets and 3 legs.
-
the fog/smoke shader itself looks nice, but the placement and density looks like⌠well, a cloud placed on the ground.
-
I donât care fore the blurring camera lens vignette going on.
3 Likes
Cinematography aside, I think the modeling/texturing/shading is too âCGâ. If youâre going for realism you need variation and imperfection. There is no variation at all in the reflection(roughness), no variation in the material colours - painted metal and rust.
And the edges are all razor sharp and perfectly straight. None of these things occur in reality, especially with a well-worn, rusted war machine.
There should be wear/dirt/dust/scratches/damage/weathering/faded paint/etc.
One of the main issues with people modeling hard-surface is that they obsess over everything being perfect, but in the end this detracts from the believability of the object. Nothing is perfect. Even brand new manufactured objects have micro-scratches and dust and variations in reflection and colouration.
2 Likes
This is a great point.
Rust is not just a different color of paint. Rust is the metal breaking down, and eating itself like cancer. It makes paint flake off and âbubbleâ around it. And yes, in real life we expect to see non-perfect metal on such machines - dents, holes, evidence of some past collision or misfortune.
A look at an image search of machines and cars in junkyards will be good reference material
3 Likes
Good picture. Welcome to BA!
Focusing on what feels odd:
- The foreground grass, plants, smoke curve and align to appear as a ring or two. That plus the blurring of the edges (DOF or vignette) makes an impression of fish eye type lens distortion. But there is no distortion which creates an uncanny valley or cognitive dissonance effect.
-
Minor thing. Strong sharp shadows on the smoke are unexpected.
-
Minor thing. Is it one mech or two? This question distracts the viewer. The legs/mechs are facing the same direction. Realistic maybe but it increases the appearance of being one machine. Smoke hides the answer.
Those things give an odd or uncanny appearance to me. Otherwise it is a good picture. Other folks can suggest some improvements.
3 Likes
Exactly, itâs a process that happens in stages of transformation to the materials: from the rust on the metal itself, back to the faded paint surrounding it.
Indeed, and of course well used construction and military vehicles are a great source of ref too.
3 Likes
I am speechless, I never expected so many great points in such a short time, I will try to address all of your suggestions.
I fully agree with the idea of changing the camera angle and tuning the colors.
Regarding the unusual âmistâ it is something that I completely forgot to clarify/mention and I do apologize, the oddly dense smoke on the ground is supposed to be a result of an smoke screen.
I will definitely leave only one robot in the next version as two of them are indeed confusing.
Certainly I will also experiment some more with the vignette additionally I will see what I can do about the
unusually sharp shadows on the smoke.
I am somewhat limited to what changes I can do to the models, redoing the textures is something that I can and will do but I am uncertain to what extent I can alter the geometry to make the robot look more damaged and worn without commiting a fair amount of time to it.
Thank you for your feedback, it has been very insightful for me and I hope that I will get back to you soon with a new impruved version.
(please excuse me if I used the reply option
incorrectly Iâm still figuring this site out)
4 Likes
I would suggest not to take the entire robot out but maybe just reposition it instead. Maybe move it back and to the side a little so it is clear its not the same robot. It also might look better to place the far robot in some shadows to make it more of a silhouette. But if you find that there isnt much space for that than it may be more benificial to simply remove it.
2 Likes
In my opinion, a âsuccessfulâ artwork is an artwork that doesnât need clarification. Once it does then the artwork fails to deliver the message.
How are the viewers supposed to know itâs a smokescreen? maybe if itâs an animation and we see the smoke building up. In a still render, itâs harder to do. Maybe you can include a cannister of some sort in midair emitting the smoke, or a part of the mech emitting smoke.
Another thing that could be nice is a sense of scale. How big is it? How does it compare to people? BigBlend 's edit conveys a little bit of this by framing it in a way a person might see it irl. You could also add a silhouette of a person inside the smoke (even though it would be contradicting the use of the smokescreen) or people running ahead of it.
1 Like
I do agree regarding the smoke screen. Another thing you could do to make it clear that its a smoke screen would be to change the color of the smoke. The military will somtimes use vibrant colors like purple or orange. I would recommend to choose a color that compliments the abundance of green in this picture.
2 Likes
First: I really like it, nice job.
If I have to say something of what is looking âweirdâ at first sight Iâd say:
- shadows on the smoke
- mechs framing/positioning
1 Like
What stands out to me is the smoke / dust. Itâs everywhere, and it begins to make the shot look two-dimensional. I think that I would seriously consider omitting it entirely, or cutting it way back.
Iâd also suggest looking for a more âdramaticâ camera angle. This one is from the POV of someone whoâs about to get smooshed by that robot, so whatâs he doing there, snapping a picture?
Also, consider the use of color. Youâve basically got two colors here: light grey, and green.