[rendek]

I used the background image and 3 emitters (one shows up, which is a mistake) for lighting and used a shadow catcher for the ground...

The plan is to lay out all the pieces of the assembly in front of the assembled thing.

let me know what you think and how I can improve it...

Thanks,

Adam

[ivox3]

..killer.

[rivoli]

it looks good, but there's a problem with the lights of your background image. it looks like you toned it down a bit, and the brightest part of the lamps turned grey (those windows as well, if they are windows that is). you might consider to make them as bright as the emitter.

[rendek]

ivox3: Thanks!

rivoli: good point...I'm having trouble matching the background image's settings...I could read the exif data (you've got to love the 21st century), the original settings were:

f stop: 3.5
shutter: 500
(no ISO, so I guessed 300)

now, when I create the background MXI from the JPG I should set those values in the MXCL too, right? Well, if I do that it darkens the image since the default values are:

f stop: 8
shutter: 25
ISO: 100

so that is the initial problem (I needed to go with the original values) then the other issue is that even if I set appropriate values for the scene in studio, it seems to stick to f stop 8 when it starts the rendering. Why is that?

[Nicolas Rivera]

Rendek, this image is amazing. Can you post what is real and what is the background you used?

[rendek]

thanks, Nicolas!

here is a screen shots and the original image which I found on the second page of a Google image query (searching for 'hangar')

[pwrdesign]

Amazing, what is a shadow catcher?

[rivoli]

I'm having trouble matching the background image's settings...

since you've gone through the trouble of setting up your scene so that you can comp it back on your original background (matte and shadow pass and all), I'd do all the matching work in post (keeping the plate as it is, and adjusting the rendering consistently).
usually when you have to match digital elements into any given plate, one would tend to keep the less controllable element of a comp as fixed, and start from there. it's much more easier to match the exposure of your photograph, than trying to have it matching what you render.

[sandykoufax]

Very nice composition.

[rendek]

rivoli: thanks for the tipps. it looks like I could make it a little better with some shutter speed adjustment...

sandykoufax: thanks!

here is an update I did last night. I still need to do some tweaks

please send C&C