Playing with SSS and a 3D warehouse model

[Ecuadorian]

I used this model:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ ... revstart=0

out-SU.jpg (126 KiB) Viewed 14255 times

In case anyone happens to be rendering ice hotels, I assigned a "Subsurface scattering > rubber ball" template, with these settings:

sss-settings.jpg (52.55 KiB) Viewed 14250 times

Used Preset Easy 09 and stopped it after the third pass. Took nine minutes.

out-3passes.jpg (181.82 KiB) Viewed 14256 times

[Ecuadorian]

Another one of the inside. Again I stopped after the third pass. This one took 20 minutes and a half in my old Core 2 Duo. For this one I upped the exposure to 1.3.

in-SU.jpg (95.73 KiB) Viewed 14240 times

in-3passes.jpg (103.16 KiB) Viewed 14245 times

As you can see the model was not quite right (no thickness in some elements, reversed faces) and it lacks some stalactites and random detail for added drama, so I'll probably end up building my own version of the Fortress of Solitude instead of fixing this one... when I find the time.

[fymoro]

I like the mood of these images, thanks for the small tutorial,
Fred

[Ecuadorian]

Overnight 83-passes render. 6h15m.

out-83-passes.jpg (143.5 KiB) Viewed 14174 times

[Chris]

Very cool. I like the "inside" view best.

[Solo]

Does SSS only work with progressive preset?

[Chris]

It can work with the others but won't look as good, and can add a lot of extra render time. At the lower end (Low, Low+) you may not get any results or you may get "estimated" results.

[Solo]

I actually tried with low+ and got nothing, just a flat texture, and then with 08 and got this....

20 passes, 10 minutes.

dragonsss.jpg

and this is with low+

drag low.jpg

Is there anyway of getting the SSS to work like this?

sssdragonv.jpg

[Fletch]

SSS must use the Easy+
or use progressive rendering.

with Easy09, it's important to light scene with emitting surfaces.

[Ecuadorian]

Solo, perhaps it's just a matter of having the right light sources, as Fletch said, and playing around with the SSS settings.

Here's a quick attempt with some seahorses, rendered with Preset 09:

seahorses.jpg (15.03 KiB) Viewed 14077 times

This time I started with the wax template and used these settings:

seahorse-settings.jpg (30.96 KiB) Viewed 14073 times

For illumination, the sky is turned off, but the sun is on, with soft shadows turned off. I used no emitters, but I guess you can get some pretty cool results with them.

If you can replicate the look of the dragon please tell us how you did it
The seahorse if from the warehouse:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ ... evstart=36