Hello. Could you give me an example? I tried with both and it looks similar.

The one on the left hand side is the current template. The one on the right hand side is the 1.06b - There is a slight difference as I roughly located the point light.

However, the object scale is different between the 2 templates therefore, you need to update the values for the light accordingly. Before the scale was 0.02 and now it is 1(x50) - (for the default 1X1 bricks). In the lamp property, to get exactly the same result, Size must be multiply by 50 as well as the Strength.

Yep. Here it is. This one is Template 1.05:

And this one is Template 1.06b1:

The only difference is camera placement. (and template version) 😛

Did you try to update the lamp settings like I explained in the previous post because it really looks like it. What is the scale of your parts in each version? Do you have the 2 Blender files?

No, those were without updating it. The scale is at 1. They're just the green startup bricks.

If you did not update the scale in any of them, try to adjust the lamp params Size & Strength (multiply by 50 from 1.05 to 1.06b) - Same for the light position (x, y, z, -> x50).

Where are the lamp parameters located? I just used an environment map. I'm kinda new at Blender, so I'm not familiar with it too much yet. 😃

I got it figured out. I feel kinda dumb...
It still isn't the same though...

Hi, I put online a new version 1.06 of the template. Find log change and file in the first post of the topic.

Hello Everyone!

First of all thank you Scrubs for this fantastic tool for LEGo rendering, it is really useful. I used Ldraw and Pov-ray before, but Blender is a much more complex yet fast engine to use.
Although I have some questions about rendering in Blender:
If I use the HDR lighting technique mentioned in the video the result is somewhat dark. If I change the background color strenght the model is also brighter like it is glowing. I changed the environment texture to plain a white png and it is working okay. Is there a way to change some settings that result a "not so greyish" render when using HDR?
An other question is regarding the render quality settings. What are the best settings for a relly good photorealistic render?

Hello and welcome.

For environment lighting, you can use normal images but it works best with a special High Dynamic Range (HDR) image. Format is generally .hdr, .exr, etc. Those formats can store very high values to avoid burning an area of the image - for example the sun. You need to find an image that fits your scene. You can also scale or rotate it in the mapping node.

For your second questions, the default settings from the template I made is supposed to work ok in most situations but depending on your scene and your light setup, it can be adjusted to get a better result faster. This is a complex topic with no good answers.

Thank you for the reply!

Hi! I have a little problem with my lego render: I exactly followed your tutorial but when I click on the button "Run Script" blend send me an error ("Python script failed)... Please can someone help me? Thank you in advance

I've tried new version of template. New scale of scene causes some troubles with setting up the camera, for example setting F-stop number.

I think that the SSS multiplier in the solid shader of Template v1.06 is set too high (value is now 1.5 compared to 0.5 formerly). Bricks have a shadow around their edges and thus especially lighter coloured parts are looking kind of smudgy. In the old template SSS is applied much more subtle.

[Images removed]

Could you also do the same test with only the diffuse shader? (Turn to 0 or 1 the param in the mix shader node).

I've updated the post above to include rendering samples allowing for a better comparison. To switch off SSS I've set the mix shader value to 1 as requested.

Thanks. The thing with lowering the sss radius is that it turns to just a diffuse shader. If the scale of the object is set to 1 it corresponds to the penetration depth. E.g 1.5mm in template 1.06

For good comparison it would be nice to find a lighting where SSS is very visible - part looks waxy (maybe strong on top?) And then redo the same test.

I don't have access to Blender for the next few weeks.

I'll run some more tests during the next days and put the blends/renders on Google Drive. For now, enjoy your holidays.

Here a few smaller suggestions for the next template update. Of course users can save things like that to their startup file, but optimized defaults might help the rather unexperienced ones.

• Pack some default .exr file (e.g. studio032.exr from zbyg) into the template blend to avoid the well-known beginner's mistake caused by a missing environment map (pink scene).
• Enable the "Lock Camera to View" option to allow for quick navigation in camera view for unexperienced users. It's perhaps easier for many to orbit around the scene than manually moving the camera.
• Disable the "Relationship Lines" option in the Display properties for both views, since it's irrititating and actually useless for our purposes.

Hi Scrubs,
This is my first day playing with your script.
Currently, my preview render looks good, but when I render, certain objects get all rounded.
for example I have a 'coles stuff crate' in the scene. All the sides become ovals.
I'd upload an example, but I don't see an option to upload an image to the forum reply.
Thanks!