75% CGI Renders!
Images owned by IKEA
Photorealism Explained
The principles of photorealistic rendering
Why Photorealism is important
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Animal Logic VFX Reel
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Animal Logic VFX Reel
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones
Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Watch: Realtime architectural walkthrough
From Youtube Channel: UE4 Architecture
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016)
Naughty Dog
Images shared by Soa Lee on ArtStation
Real life
CGI
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However...
They all want Photorealism
Images owned by IKEA
Watch: Jurassic World VFX Breakdown - by Image Effects
Image by Cornelius Dämmrich
Photorealism: �The most important goal for CG artists
“But what about…”
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Disney
Toy Story 1 (1995)
Pixar
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Pixar
Inside Out (2015)
Pixar
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Pixar
Art by Jin Kim�cosmoanimato.tumblr.com
Expectation
Realistic
Cartoony
Choose one!
Reality
Realistic
Cartoony
Start
Watch “A Talk on Drawing Styles”
How to Achieve Photorealism
The 4 Building Blocks of Photorealism
Modelling
Materials
Lighting
Post-Processing
“…90% of the time, the materials and lighting carry the weight of creating truly photorealistic imagery.”
-Alex Roman, From Bits to Lens
The Third and the Seventh (2009)
By Alex Roman
Model
Material
Lighting
Post-Processing
Image by Cornelius Dämmrich
Model
Material
Lighting
Post-Processing
Model
Material
Lighting
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Image by Dan Roarty
Modelling
Materials
Lighting
Post-Processing
Modelling
Materials
Lighting
Post-Processing
Photorealistic modelling is…
Matching the proportions and form of the real world object.
Tip #1: Keep it in Real World Scale
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Modelling
Tip #2: Never a sharp edge!
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Modelling
Tip #3: Use Reference!�(and nothing beats the real thing)
Tip #4: Know your anatomy
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Modelling
Modelling
Modelling
Materials
Lighting
Post-Processing
Photorealistic materials are…
When the shading and textures matches real world materials.
Tip #1: Use Physically Accurate Shaders
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Materials
Traditional Shader
Physically Accurate Shader
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Materials
Tip #2: Use PBR Maps
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Materials
Tip #2: Use PBR Maps
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Materials
Photorealism > 4 Cornerstones > Materials
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Materials
Tip #3: Use Surface Imperfections
Tip #3: Use Surface Imperfections
Photorealism Explained > 4 Building Blocks > Materials
Materials
Modelling
Materials
Lighting
Post-Processing
Photorealistic lighting is…
Light that matches the color, direction and intensity seen in real life.
Tip #1: Use real-world light direction
Tip #2: Use the correct color
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Candle
Incandescent
Halogen
Cool Fluorescent
Late Afternoon
Full Spectrum Lighting
Summer Sunlight
Overcast
Sky
Sky
Light
Tip #3: Don’t forget reflections!
Standard Lamp Lighting
HDR Environment Lighting
Lighting
Modelling
Materials
Lighting
Post-Processing
Photorealistic post-processing is…
Recreating imperfections from real life cameras.
“I think very strongly that one should come to CG as one does to photography. You can have perfect technical mastery and still fail as an artist if you frame, compose or light your shot in a poor way.”
-Bertrand Benoit, Architecture Academy Interview
2. Motion Blur
Image by Frank Monnerjahn
3. Depth of Field
Image by Steve Jurvetson
4. Chromatic Aberration
Image by John M
5. Barrel Distortion
Post-Processing
Post Processing
Lighting
Materials
Modelling
Modelling
Materials
Lighting
Post-Processing
Go make some awesome renders!
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Material
Lighting
Post-Processing
Model
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Lighting
Post-Processing
Model
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Lighting
Post-Processing