Rendering reflective material realistically relies heavily upon the environment that the material is reflecting. This is one of the reasons why rendering metal can be so tricky. Using HDR’s can help get you there. Often overlooked is the fact that regular HDR images can look way too busy, or impart far too much contrast to the materials in the scene. So how are you supposed get that heavily admired low-key look? Well, one way is to use the right HDR’s for reflections.
You need something visually interesting, high contrast, and built for rendering metal. This is why GSG and Chad Ashely have released a new HDRI Expansion Pack: Pro Studios Metal. It is a suite of 45 HDR’s that are custom built to bring out the most when you are rendering metal and metallic surfaces. These are not just some stock HDR’s. Chad has taken his 20-year live action production knowledge of how metal behaves in the real world, and crafted HDRIs that are specifically designed for rendering anything metallic. The results really speak for themselves.
“There has always been a gap in HDRI’s when it comes to making really good metal renders.” Chad says, “They’re always too contrasty or too busy. What you need are subtle highlights and gradients. A light that rolls off the surface”.
There is currently a special release price on Pro Studios Metal , so be sure to visit GSG for more details.
