help on rendering a mug

[sureno]

Hello

I have created a mug in Sketchup (version 8.0.3) and then added a black and white drawing onto the image per the enclosed screen shot.

What I would like to do now is create a shiny bone china material that will not erase the image file.

Also, I was wondering how to get rid of the facets, I have used Sketchup's soften edges /smooth normals but not sure if that is correct or whether it is a render setting within Twilight.

Thanks very much for any help you can give me.

Jerry

[derei]

could you share the model to let us play with it? (btw image entities added in SU are not the best way to use a texture - rather transform them in textures)

[Chris]

To fix the faceting, your will need to place your geometry into a group or component.

[Fletch]

As chris said, make the mug into a group or component

Material template>Tile>Gloss
increase shininess as desired.
example of hi-shininess:
Subject: New bathroom project

[sureno]

Thanks very much for all your comments. I really appreciate it and have checked out the bathroom render with interest.

Regarding smoothing the mug, even after grouping and smoothing, I am still limited by the poly count of the original model, so guess the only way is to remodel from sctach with much much higher polygons....

Thanks again, and I will share finished once I have played about further.

Jerry

[Fletch]

... I am still limited by the poly count of the original model, so guess the only way is to remodel ... much higher polygons

Great, Jerry - looking forward to seeing the results!
Yes, when rendering something so close-up poly count matters greatly! You should refer to some of Massimo's and Alvydas' works here on the forum for some examples of small object detail modeling... RangerRick as well.

[sureno]

... I am still limited by the poly count of the original model, so guess the only way is to remodel ... much higher polygons

Great, Jerry - looking forward to seeing the results!
Yes, when rendering something so close-up poly count matters greatly! You should refer to some of Massimo's and Alvydas' works here on the forum for some examples of small object detail modeling... RangerRick as well.

Once again, thanks so much for the comments. It really helps.

Well, here is the mock up before any lighting and materials are applied. All the product was modelled in sketchup using the loft tools with high poly count, and I created the textures and used the projection tool to get them to curve around the unequal face. There's a couple corrections needed if you look close. So I am just relying on the sunlight, no artificial light, and have played about a bit with the OSB just to make the image, although you will note it is not seamless, nor is the bump set up well, and I am sure the scale is out!!

My next stage would be to add a ceramic and lots of gloss to the pieces, and think about a suitable lighting environment and camera set up. I have looked at the post on "jewellery and product rendering", but am still wondering about just relying on twilight default sunlight setting, or possibly HDRI, because I am scared of render times with point lights (wrongly?). Alternative is create a room with "holes" or sun screens to bounce the sunlight around. Not sure if that would work with HDRI. Really I do not have much of an idea.

Render time is also a factor as I do not have a computer optimised for render. This is all TW version 1.

Sharing my thoughts on stage set, I am thinking quality timber lacquered base (furniture that you wold not see) and a plain background, like shiny plastic. Alternative is to do the whole thing shiny plastic, so set in a studio.

Any comments on lighting gratefully received!!!

Jerry

[Fletch]

Setting them on a piece of furniture, and rendering them in a photo studio is a great idea.

Here are the best threads for your project, in my opinion.

Jewelry and Product Shots - the Right Light a.k.a. "photo studio" "lighting studio"

The Best Thread for following someone as they learn Twilight Render for studio shots or product shots - like for a piece of furniture for instance (INCLUDES PRACTICE SCENE!):
Subject: light and material study

Subject: Pentax Camera - great model in Google 3DWarehouse

Subject: Liquid In A Glass - How To Model Wine or Water - by Massimo

[sureno]

Hi, meant to post this earlier, but here is some of the rendering I did. All done with a virtual studio I set up, as best I could. Next thing might be to change the colour of the surface to a greenish colour for a glass cabinet feel, to add a bit of interest, or maybe a black reflective worktop might also work.

I think it might have been better for the lighting to use an HDR image as background due to the reflective nature of the material. But I am not sure how to do that with Twilight version 1. Is it possible? Camera view and depth of field also need work. Handle is a little jagged.

[Fletch]

These turned out very well!

for HDRi, it's simple, turn off sun (if you have it on) in the Environment Editor, and change sky to spherical sky or Probe, depending on the HDR image you are loading, then load the hdr into the sky and render.

follow the tutorial I linked before:
Subject: Pentax Camera - great model in Google 3DWarehouse