hi jonathan, thanks for your answers.
actually, i was trying to imitate the plastic car in your reference photo! my results were not far off yours, but to me, and i know people differ on this, it still looks too much like painted metal. i tried putting in some SSS, a bit of transparency, tweaking the IoR, putting in some Voronoi noise into the normal channel (just a tiny bit), but i cannot get close to the plastic of that car. i couldn’t get the tyres to look right either. they keep looking like rubber. i know they would be in real life, but i am trying to imitate the reference image, because in real life, i shall be doing exactly that – even if they are reference images i have chosen. i need my assets to be as photo-real as possible, so i have to be picky. thus, if you can provide with a selection, however small, of different realist plastic node combinations and settings, i would be hugely grateful. i realise also that the model car is full of curves and has ambient lighting and GI reflections, and this definitely makes a difference.
thanks for the solution to my camera DoF problems (which worked as you said they would). i have not looked to see whether you have a camera / render course, but i really need to do that soon!
best wishes,
julian darley
