[WIP] Damaged house (need feedback and advice :))

AXEL

Hey there, 
So I'm trying to finish this house diorama thing and I need some help with presentation/lighting
Here are some renders 



I want to achieve dark, night look without hiding details such as 




So yeah I'm kinda stuck on trying to makes this look the best it can for portfolio.
Thanks for taking the time to check this

bigodon

looks great, i would add some height map grunge between the briks and on the briks some subtle height/normal of rock for break the tilling look
also on plaster texture to make it feeling very rough

AXEL

Thanks, not sure I completely understand how the thing you said would look like, do you have some example of that ?

Fansub

Nice work AXEL ! for presentation crits i think toning down the fog might help you get the details to be more visible.
As for the lighting, you have a few lamps in your scene but their light doesn't affect the scene from the look of it.Maybe giving it more intensity to affect the surrounding areas can help you in that regard

AXEL

Thanks @Fansub . The fog is a bit of a pickle the more there is, the more interesting the mood, but if it's less, scene becomes boring imo (pic. 7)
As for lights - they are just emissive material atm and adding light seem to make everything just worse and I don't know how to light in Marmoset Toolbag

Fansub

Fog that is everywhere (far and near the camera) doesn't help the composition, especially when you want to see the details.This screenshot from the Order uses a lot of fog in the background for example, but as you approach the camera the fog decreases it's intensity, giving you the ability to showcase all the beauty in the details.



With that said, not 100% if you're trying to emulate a victorian-style wood, so it might differ. The fact that you have a house and nothing in the background doesn't help a lot too, but it should be interesting to see how you'll fix these composition issues good luck !

AXEL

@Fansub Yeah I agree, looks like I can't take this much further without adding something for the background ...