So you've used Scrubs' Blender template but want to spice up your renders a bit? (Please note that you do need to be at least a bit familiar with Blender).

The first thing I want to say is that I had never used Blender or similar software until I started doing renders here just over a month ago. Everything I have learned is from online tutorials and experimentation. It's not too hard and there is so much free information out there.

STEP ONE: THE "GROUND"
The Blender template has a simple studio backdrop but if you want your model to be somewhere else you ideally want a ground surface that fits the location. In my renders I replace the studio backdrop with a simple circle mesh to which I add textures to create the surface I like, such as wood or concrete. The important thing here is that your textures are high resolution because they will be seen from a short distance.

I get most of my textures and maps from [url]http://www.texturise.club[/url]. This is the one I used for my wood: [url]http://www.texturise.club/2014/02/tileable-wood-fine-texture.html[/url]

Here is the node setup for my ground materials:

Just set this up for your circle object and and make adjustments until it looks right. For more information just find a video tutorial online that you like.

Another alternative is to use a procedural texture. Have a look on [urlhttp://www.blendswap.com[/url] for these.

STEP TWO: LIGHTING AND BACKGROUND
This is straightfoward. Where you choose the lighting .exr file in Scrubs' tutorial you instead add a different HDR image. These provide the lighting information and the background. Don't worry here if the resolution is a bit low, the depth of field we add later blurs them.

You can find some good HDR images at:
Awesome exteriors at [url]http://hdrihaven.com[/url]
Great interiors at [url]http://www.maximeroz.com/hdri-free-pack/[/url]
All sorts at [url]http://www.hdrlabs.com/sibl/archive.html[/url] (use the reflection map .hdr file)

Here's the setup:

To get the background to show up you need to uncheck this checkbox in the render settings:

STEP THREE: DEPTH OF FIELD
This adds the blur effect that makes your render look like macro photography. After you select the select the camera the camera settings become available as shown here:

The Focal Length setting determines the strength of the perspective effect. For a very small model 100mm is good; 70mm for something small; 56mm for anything larger. Feel free to experiment to get the look you want.

Under Depth of Field there are a few things to adjust. The Focus setting is simply the part the camera is focused on - the minifig's head for instance. The aperture controls the strength of the depth of field effect. Assuming you haven't changed the scale of your model after importing it into Blender a value in the range of 2-5m is suitable depending on the focal length. A value of 0 means everything will be in focus. Once again just experiment until your happy.

So hopefully this is helpful. I wanted to make this concise, so if you have any questions just ask. I look forward to seeing more renders making their way out of the studio and into the wider world.

cynaptic