etobiason
Member
A problem with 3D for print is the outrageous sizes at which we're asked to produce some images. Comparing 3D to photography I wondered how you enlarge photographs to these same outrageous sizes.
Professional photographers will shoot on film that is either 4"x 5" or 8" x 10" (forget 35mm, it's too small!). To match this film resolution you should set your render for 1000 pixels per inch, in other words, 4000x5000 pixels or 8000x10,000, if you can achieve it. Segmented rendering should allow you to reach that 10,000 pixel height, if you can handle the 8,000 pixel width. For landscape oriented images, try adding a null to the scene called MasterRotater or something and rotating everything (camera, lights... everything) 90° to change your orientation to portrait before you render.
Now that you have this big render, here's the trick: you have your render transferred to transparency film. There are services out there to do this for you. Now you have a transparency that should be just as good as any photographer's.
Your client wants something to fill a whole wall, you say? Next step: scan the transparency, blowing the image up to the size you need it. Instead of getting computery artifacts from enlarging your original render, you will get film grain sneaking into your image--again, the same as if a photographer shot the piece and you enlarged it.
I plan on testing this out soon, but in theory it should work!
Professional photographers will shoot on film that is either 4"x 5" or 8" x 10" (forget 35mm, it's too small!). To match this film resolution you should set your render for 1000 pixels per inch, in other words, 4000x5000 pixels or 8000x10,000, if you can achieve it. Segmented rendering should allow you to reach that 10,000 pixel height, if you can handle the 8,000 pixel width. For landscape oriented images, try adding a null to the scene called MasterRotater or something and rotating everything (camera, lights... everything) 90° to change your orientation to portrait before you render.
Now that you have this big render, here's the trick: you have your render transferred to transparency film. There are services out there to do this for you. Now you have a transparency that should be just as good as any photographer's.
Your client wants something to fill a whole wall, you say? Next step: scan the transparency, blowing the image up to the size you need it. Instead of getting computery artifacts from enlarging your original render, you will get film grain sneaking into your image--again, the same as if a photographer shot the piece and you enlarged it.
I plan on testing this out soon, but in theory it should work!