What are the best practices for lighting hard surface models?

1 Use three-point lighting

One of the most common and effective lighting setups for hard surface models is the three-point lighting. This consists of three lights: a key light, a fill light, and a back light. The key light is the main source of illumination, usually placed at a 45-degree angle from the front of the model. The fill light is a softer and weaker light, placed at the opposite side of the key light, to reduce the shadows and create contrast. The back light is a rim light, placed behind the model, to create a highlight and separate it from the background. You can adjust the intensity, color, and position of each light to achieve different effects and moods.

2 Use HDRIs for realistic environments

Another way to light your hard surface models is to use high dynamic range images (HDRIs) as environment maps. HDRIs are panoramic photos that capture the lighting and reflections of a real-world scene. You can use them as backgrounds or as light sources for your models, depending on your software and renderer. HDRIs can create realistic and consistent lighting for your models, as well as provide interesting reflections and details on the surfaces. You can find many free and paid HDRIs online, or create your own with a 360-degree camera.

3 Use emissive materials for glowing effects

If you want to add some glow and color to your hard surface models, you can use emissive materials. Emissive materials are those that emit light, rather than reflect it. You can use them for parts of your model that are supposed to glow, such as screens, buttons, lasers, or neon lights. Emissive materials can create interesting contrasts and accents on your model, as well as cast light on nearby objects. You can control the color, intensity, and falloff of the emissive materials, depending on your software and renderer.

4 Use global illumination for realistic shadows

Global illumination is a technique that simulates the way light bounces and scatters in a scene. It can create more realistic and natural shadows, as well as subtle color variations and ambient occlusion. Global illumination can enhance the realism and depth of your hard surface models, especially if they have complex shapes and details. However, global illumination can also increase the rendering time and complexity of your scene, so you may need to optimize your settings and use other methods to speed up the process.