CG Flow: Yum Cha Setting

Step One - Design Concept

I desire to create a certain scene or learn a new concept.
First, sketch the image, or create a mental mock up.
Yum Cha Lunch:
I saw an image of a lunch setting whilst browsing.

Step Two - Environment

Create a suitable set up, including lighting and environment.
Yum Cha Lunch:
I created a studio environment with a curved backdrop and appropriate lighting.

Step Three - Modelling

Model each object individually to prevent slowdown whilst working.
Yum Cha Lunch:
Individual objects included: the steamer, chopsticks, towel, dumplings, bowl and rice.

Step Four - Texturing

Create textures for all visible surfaces.
Simpler textures require less computation but can still be realistic, avoid subsurface scattering (SSS) where unecessary.
Use absorption instead of SSS if necessary.
Often detail can be added using bump maps rather than polygons.
Yum Cha Lunch:
The dumpling skins made use of absorption to create a waxy effect.
I used a simple noise map in the bump map slot for the rice to make each grain more unique.
The grain on the steamer was a simple stretched bump map.

Step Five - Rendering

VRay is a fast and easy-to-use renderer.
Select suitable render parameters:VRay Materials, VRay Settings.
Make sure to have some basic understanding of the effect of each parameter, and trial different combinations to see which works best for a particular scene.
I prefer to use depth of field (DOF) in my images to give them a more realistic look. Apply DOF in post processing to speed up render times.
Don't forget caustics in scenes with reflective and refractive surfaces for realism, but understand that this can drastically reduce render times.
I used a close DOF and suitable interpolation and colour mapping to achieve the desired look in 3ds max, but dont fret if the colour and lighting isnt exactly what you intended (see step six).

Step Six - Post Processing

Mistakes made in the rendering process can be fixed here, without having to perform another costly render.
Make adjustments to colour and lighting if the scene was too dark.
Add film grain effects and lens flares to simulate a real camera under different ISO conditions.
Remove rendering artefacts with the cloning tool.