Assignment 1 - Advanced Material & Lighting in Keyshot

For assignment 1, you will create a still life rendering of a table setting using KeyShot.  You will try to match existing materials from reference images and make it look as realistic as possible.  As you go through this process, you will explore advance materials and lighting setups in KeyShot.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this assignment, students are expected to demonstrate knowledge, skill and abilities in the following areas:

• Create advance materials using the Material Graph
• Enhance a scene using custom HDRI settings and physical lights
• Tailor rendering settings to maximize render quality and minimize render time
• Apply concepts from presentations on Hero Shot and Realism

Description

The table settings needs to include the following pieces as a minimum: dinner plate, bowl, glass, silverware set (3 pieces), table decorations and table.  Additional pieces can be added. For example, a salad plate or fork can be added to the scene. Substitution of certain pieces will be allowed. For example, a wine glass could be used instead of a glass as long as it meets the material requirements defined below.  Table decoration could be candles, vase with flowers, fruit bowl, salt & pepper set, etc.  The table can be a physical object or a picture of a table but the perspective of the scene must match the image.

The 3D models for the table settings can be from several sources but must be documented in your submission.   You can model your own table setting pieces or use models from previous studio course.  3D models from online model banks are allowed.  This include free models as well as purchase pieces or sets.  Licensing requirements must be followed.

To help in developing the materials and lighting, create a mood board of 6 to 8 inspirational images/photos of different materials and lighting setups that you might want to match.  You will not have to match one specific scene for your rendering but can use materials from different images/photos.  Also, you physical models of the table setting does not have to match any of the objects in the images/photos.  The content of the images/photos can be of non-related objects.

At a minimum, the following material requirements must be developed as part of the scene and created by you:

• Dinner plate and bowl must be a matching set but each have its own material with a minimum of 3  distinct attributes.  For example, the bowl could be a ceramic material with flat and shinny areas and a different material around the edge. Use the material graph to create a single material with the multiple attributes.
• The glass must include a liquid form inside of it.  The glass needs to have transparency so material will cast a caustic pattern.  The material for the liquid inside does not have too but can cast a caustic pattern.
• The silverware set should have handles with different materials from the blade, tongs, etc.  The individual pieces can have different parts with different materials applied to each.
• Use at least 3 other material on the remain items in the scene (table decorations and table)

The lighting for the scene must be a combination between HDRI and physical lights.  One of the physical lights should be either a spot or area light to cast the caustic patterns through the glass material.

As part of your submission, create a PDF document with the following: finished rendering, materials graphs of each unique material (screen captures) & diagram with material callouts, lighting location, caustic effect and render settings (samples & rendering time).

Technical notes

• Create at least one rendering applies different concepts of a realistic hero shot.
• Frame the view to make it dynamic and that best shows off your scene.
• The orientation of the scene can be either  portrait or landscape mode.
• Final rendering size: a minimum of 1600 pixel in the smallest direction.  
• Use a ratio of 1:1, 4:3, 4:5 or 16:9
• Rendering format: png
• Program: KeyShot

Submit

• KeyShot Package file (File > Save Package)
• Rendering file(s) (png format)
• PDF document that explains your submission

Assignment Examples

Document: purdy_tim_submission.pdf Download purdy_tim_submission.pdf

Renderings: