rendering
render farms
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6. It’s a test render Hey cool, you just got your head around the new array modifier! Don’t post it on the net. Test renders are exactly that. Tests. They are a learning experience that should remain on your hard drive.
7. It’s poorly lit Let me say this once and for all: Dark is not moody. If you want to create a moody atmosphere there are plenty of ways of doing it, but making your scene dimly lit is not one of them. Pick up a copy of Jeremy Birn’s Digital Lighting and Rendering to learn how to light your scene like a pro.
8. You don’t realise it sucks No one likes receiving bad feedback on their artwork, especially after you’ve spent weeks creating it, but to tell the hundreds of posters that they “just don’t understand it” is like throwing salt on the wound. If you want to progress as an artist you need to be able to take critiques on-board and learn from your mistakes.
9. It’s boring architecture Archiviz is great skill to have under your belt. There’s a lot of work available and it pays quite well, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring and emotionless. Read my post on 20 Architectural renders that break the mold or watch Alex Roman’s amazing short The Third and the Seventh and you’ll pick up dozens of ways to make still architecture interesting.
10. It’s overly post-processed There’s nothing wrong with fixing the colour levels or altering the contrast in Photoshop, but when you start adding filters and chromatic aberration to hide your own incompetence, there’s a problem.
Look at #10 (my personal favorite)… many artists make their projects too “heavy” — which unnecessarily makes their renders too large and take way too long. When they realize what they did, they scale back and BAM! …much faster and a very similar end result!
When it comes right down to it, as my friend Gerri Schwartz says, “The images are what your clients see — it’s your “signature” and best advertisements for your talents.”
So you want to put your best foot forward and present your finest. Whether it’s through an in-house system or online using the latest in Cloud Technology, the faster it can be created with the optimum results are what truly matters. And knowing the best solution for your needs and requirements is what it’s all about.
So there you have it. Rendering doesn’t really have to suck!
A familiar sight - banks of processors from a time not too long ago
Broadcast Beat Magazine / Sep-Dec, 2014