Mountain Retreat
Mountain Retreat is my latest personal project. Inspiration is a vacation cottage in Denmark. I liked it so much that I couldn't resist not to try to create my own version of it. I used Cinema 4D for modeling and Octane Render for shading and rendering. I lit the 3D scene using an HDR image and I used Octane Scatter to clone the plants and trees throughout the scene.
Vacation cottages in remote mountain locations always look inviting and calm. A lonely hidden gems in the middle of the forest. I decided to create a 3D rendering in my spare time that would capture that beauty and tranquility. I’m a huge fan of Scandinavian architecture and interior design. I came across a beautiful vacation cottage called Vinkelhuset made by Moen Huset from Denmark ( http://xn--mnhuset-q1a.dk/da/huse/vinkelhus/ ). I decided to do my own version of the house, but still keep the main characteristics of it.
I used Cinema 4D for modeling and Octane for shading and rendering. I modeled the house without paying attention to the reference images, in order to create it a bit different. I used dark wood material for the house exterior, because it makes a beautiful contrast to the green vegetation surrounding it. I lit the scene using an HDR image. I tried many different HDRi’s before I found the right one. Lighting is the key factor for creating a nice mood, so I really focused on it. I went for a sunny summer day lighting scenario, which always reminds me on summer vacation time. Since I was creating a forest scene, I had to include a lot of vegetation. Placing plants and trees by hand would be a lot of work, so I decided to use a plugin called Octane scatter. It is a perfect tool for cloning and scattering objects throughout the scene. The plugin does the job really well, and it renders very fast. Interactive rendering gives me a lot of freedom to explore light, materials and composition. It allows me to focus on artistic rather then technical aspects of the workflow.
The image was very well accepted by the social media community, which is always rewarding for me. I find my personal projects very important. I always try to use a new software and to implement a new tool or a new technique. This in my opinion is the best way to learn new things and make personal progress.
A quick advice. Stay creative. Challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone as frequently as possible.