Cosy places
In order to improve my modelling, texturing and rendering skillset I wanted to take an image of an interior I found online and see if I could recreate it as faithfully as possible in 3D. This shot is the first of three in this series where I try to recreate an environment based on a photo.
One of the tricky aspects was trying to get the scale correct with no information on the size of the room or the sensor and lens used in the original image. I eyeballed it using a 1m scale cube to gauge the dimensions of the room and once I was confident I was in the ballpark I started modelling the geometry.
I used a combination of procedural texturing in Houdini / Redshift for the majority of the objects in the scene. The brick wall, floor and ceiling were all textured using images I found online.
For the fireplace I ran a simple Pyro simulation. I could have used a digital asset but because I’m familiar with Pyro it didn’t take long to create myself.
I spent a little bit of time placing lights around the scene to try and match the original image specifically taking care to match any highlights from the ceiling spotlights and the ones around the TV area.
For the exterior of the cabin I scattered a few trees about on a grid rather than using a still image as I wanted a little bit of a parallax effect from the camera movement, even though it’s unlikely to draw the eye. I added a few additional pieces of geometry such as a blanket on the chairs and some books on a table just to add a little more life to the shot and make it feel a bit more lived in.
I’ve since gone back and updated the textures on the two closest chairs and tweaked the lighting a bit. Once it’s finished rendering I will update the project!
As always, a tidy scene file, is a happy scene file!