Mazda RX-8 Compositing

Mazda RX-8 compositing

The VFX class I am teaching is currently in the topic of Lighting, Rendering, & Compositing. One student, Suresh Kalai, suggested using a new car model for the class exercise. It is a Mazda RX-8 2004. Here is the starting render.

Initial render using materials that come with the model

I spent half a day fiddling with the new model (a messy business because all geometries are separate), working on the shaders, lighting, and rendering. Here is a work-in-progress render.

WIP render after half a day

As always, the 80/20 Rule happens. I spent the next 2 class days fiddling with the materials (while the students are working on their files) until I am happy with the final product above.

Mazda RX-8 model courtesy of archibase.net.
Back plate and HDRI sky courtesy of HDRI-Hub.com.