Some of the light settings.

Texturing

This was probably the most complicated part of the scene, but it was really fun with the new techniques used. I used a whole array of textures for this scene, including those from 3DTotal's "total textures" CD's (definitely recommended for complex scenes, these are some of the best textures in the world) some texture maps online, and of course hand-painted textures created in Photoshop (including dirt masks). The main wall alone consisted of 6 diffuse maps (11 if you include the dirt maps) and another 11 for the bump.

I always use mix maps for these types of scenes, it brings variety and an ideal visual experience to the eye. I generally have 4-10 maps on average for a somewhat complex material, depending on the structure and location of the object. Here is a small example of the final wall texture (all the diffuse maps combined) as it looks in the scene:


I wanted to give the wall a distinct look and feel, so I included different wall elements to bring a unique look. This included graffiti, dirt & grime, bricks, water erosion, and the main diffuse texture. I was quite happy with the final result.

Rendering

This scene was rendered in VRay with a basic exterior lighting setup. I used a blue skylight (in VRay: Environment) and the usual GI settings for an exterior scene.

Post work

The post-processing done in Photoshop was quite simple also. I just imported the final render into PS and then duplicated the main layer with a soft light duplication, and then I did some color-corrections, lighting fixes, and sharpening.

Well that's about it, this was my favorite scene to create so far, and I had a blast making it. One person who I would definitely like to thank is Juan Siquier, who has for the past 2 years given me great inspiration for digital art, and one of the reasons why I created this. I'm a huge fan of his work.

I would also like to thank all the people who gave me help and support during the creation of this scene, my thanks goes out to you. Have good luck maxing!