10 Reasons Why Your Render Sucks

First topic message reminder :

posted by redbyte from CGTALK

I've been a member of these forums for several years now and I
regularly check out the 3d stills gallery for inspiration. I recently
realised that a lot of artwork is suffering from some very basic
mistakes that are stopping it from being excellent. So I decided to
address these mistakes in article titled:

10 Reasons Why Your Render Sucks

I'm sure I'm only scraping the surface here, so I thought I'd ask the
community, what are the key problems you see time and time again in 3d
art?

Here we go...

1. There’s no point It doesn’t tell a story, it’s not
advertising anything and it’s certainly not pretty. What exactly is the
viewer getting from this? Nothing makes me close the window faster than
a piece of art with no clear objective.

2. You use pre-made content Stock models are great for studios
who want to save time and money by purchasing a pre-made model. But it
has absolutely no place in your portfolio. Personally I find no pride
in showing someone a render that I haven’t created entirely by myself,
but that’s just me. If you don’t know how to model it, why not learn?

3. You’re copying something far more successful I love Wall-E as
much as the next guy, but that doesn’t mean I try to mimic what a
professional studio has slaved over for years on end. Why? Because
unless it’s an uncanny comparison (which it won’t be) viewers will only
spot it’s flaws.

4. You didn’t plan it on paper first It’s easy to tell when an
artist failed to put their idea on paper first: it’s a confusing mess.
They started with an idea, skipped the planning stage and jumped
straight to their 3d program. Most artists cannot model/texture/render
in 3d at the same speed as their imagination. The best thing you can do
is put it on paper as soon as the idea strikes you, that way you have a
reference in 2 weeks time when you’re sitting at your computer and
asking, “what was I making again?”.

5. It’s cliche If I see another cave troll or big breasted
warrior I’m going to puke. Be original and create something that
everyone hasn’t already seen a thousand times.

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 10 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
incompetencies there’s a problem.

wow..dami kong natutunan.. thanks!

wow, thanks for the post sir, dapat talaga may nagcocomment ng gawa mo na honest opinion.. paano ka matututo kung di mo alam na may mali pala sa ginagawa mo? naalala ko pa ng college ako, sabi ng teacher ko sa watercolor class namin habang hawak ang gawa ko "Nakikita nyo ba ang gawa na ito? Huwag nyo itong gagayahin!" Duon ako na-inspire na gumawa ng medyo disenteng gawa hehehe. sabi nga nila sa chess, mas matalas ang mata ng miron..

anyways here are links that i thougth might help
hope you guys find this helpful.

http://photoinf.com/General/Johannes_Vl ... rules.html

http://photoinf.com/General/Lee_Frost/T ... dscape.htm

http://naturescapes.net/102004/am1004.htm

Kaya pla..thank you for sharing!

Sir sorry po sa 2x post..tanung ko lng po kung saan mkaka pag download ng Jeremy Birn’s Digital Lighting and Rendering book. ung libre lng po ha..wala po kc akong mkita eh

thanks sir!

eheheh good points. but the more we realize our works suck, the more we should be compelled to post them and the more we learn. Pero yung number 5 diyan walang kwenta. so what if it's cliche? eh kung mahilig ka naman trolls eh heehee.

yunnnn pala yun, that's why my render sucks, tsk
more praktis,hehehe..

thanks for sharing bro!

this is true to life...me sucks too...

kurdaps! wrote:posted by redbyte from CGTALK

I've been a member of these forums for several years now and I
regularly check out the 3d stills gallery for inspiration. I recently
realised that a lot of artwork is suffering from some very basic
mistakes that are stopping it from being excellent. So I decided to
address these mistakes in article titled:

10 Reasons Why Your Render Sucks

I'm sure I'm only scraping the surface here, so I thought I'd ask the
community, what are the key problems you see time and time again in 3d
art?

Here we go...

1. There’s no point It doesn’t tell a story, it’s not
advertising anything and it’s certainly not pretty. What exactly is the
viewer getting from this? Nothing makes me close the window faster than
a piece of art with no clear objective.

2. You use pre-made content Stock models are great for studios
who want to save time and money by purchasing a pre-made model. But it
has absolutely no place in your portfolio. Personally I find no pride
in showing someone a render that I haven’t created entirely by myself,
but that’s just me. If you don’t know how to model it, why not learn?

3. You’re copying something far more successful I love Wall-E as
much as the next guy, but that doesn’t mean I try to mimic what a
professional studio has slaved over for years on end. Why? Because
unless it’s an uncanny comparison (which it won’t be) viewers will only
spot it’s flaws.

4. You didn’t plan it on paper first It’s easy to tell when an
artist failed to put their idea on paper first: it’s a confusing mess.
They started with an idea, skipped the planning stage and jumped
straight to their 3d program. Most artists cannot model/texture/render
in 3d at the same speed as their imagination. The best thing you can do
is put it on paper as soon as the idea strikes you, that way you have a
reference in 2 weeks time when you’re sitting at your computer and
asking, “what was I making again?”.

5. It’s cliche If I see another cave troll or big breasted
warrior I’m going to puke. Be original and create something that
everyone hasn’t already seen a thousand times.

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 10 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
incompetencies there’s a problem.

It really useful for me. Thanks.

__________________
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wow!my render do sucks. i better keep practicing!thanks sir kurdaps for that thought!

nice tips

great reminder sir! thanks for sharing.

thanks for these lectures sir...

galing, haha, i like this

Agreeng agree ako sa no.10 hindi nila kayang ipost ang gawa ng hindi dadaan sa Photoshop overcooked pero maganda daw, 10% max & 90% photoshoped kaya sana lagay nila = rendered in photoshop, post processed in 3ds max hehe.