How to obtain a simple and effective rendering without having to create a complex material?

Question

Here is my problem, I would like to be able to render a scene without having to tamper with the material nodes each time. These days, as I decided to focus only on learning modeling, when I create an object I don't necessarily think about the material in which it would be made. Suddenly, when the time comes to texture and adjust the parameters of the materials, I am completely lost. And in the end, I end up using a single solid material which does not necessarily highlight my model.

Maybe it is me who is wrong to neglect the stage of choosing the materials before I start modeling, but I have seen in many places that it is possible to do otherwise. You see, when a professional artist, or an experienced amateur artist just wants to share with his friends, his family, his viewers or other people are the latest project but this one is not finished, he publishes a WIP (Work in progress) .

What is interesting with some WIP renderings is that they may not be completely textured, for example because the model material (s) have not yet been created, but still look cool.

This is what I want to get, a WIP style rendering. Not only that, it keeps me from having to create a complex material without having a clear idea from the start. But also, I can enjoy the benefits of rendering, such as the effects created by normal or displacement maps, and the effects of all the maps that modify or deform the mesh. Not the one that affects the color of the object.

Basically, I wish I could do like when we learn the basics of drawing. First, the learning of perspective and the decomposition of complex forms into simple forms. Then learn to represent the values ​​of a drawing. Finally learn how to use colors.

I would say that modeling would be comparable to learning perspective and all that is related, and by extension, to learning line drawing. And that learning values ​​would be what I want to do, just rendering with grayscale shading. A black and white drawing.

I also wonder, if it would not be possible to do that with the workbench renderer and the light studio options? Now, is it possible to save on a support a rendering made with the rendering engine of the viewport 3D, that I don't know ?

Ah too, here are some 3D renderings from another artist that illustrates what I want to do, I only post the link as a credit, instead of downloading it to my computer and posting it :

https://skfb.ly/6TtNX

https://skfb.ly/6TCZD (It is the same model as the sketchfav viewer on above I put it here in case it would not work)

Tim Curry WIP 9 by mathewdc on Sketchfab

Edit : my problem does not only apply to a collection of objects but also to a single object. A clay style rendering would correspond a little better to what I am looking to do. As in traditional modeling, a model / object has not yet been painted. The matcap could also be interesting, provided you find a way to make it.

Answer 1

I found a solution which consists in using the rendering engine of the viewport 3D to render the scene with the light parameters of it. There is no need to change the way of modeling the 3D model.

It's even possible to apply ambient occlusion effects to this one, so maybe use textures, but I haven't checked yet. The only thing that changes is that when rendering the model, you will have to go to the properties window, render section, and choose the "Workbench" rendering engine. From there, you can configure, according to your needs, the different options available, ranging from the choice of lighting to color management.

Then once done, you can press F12 or go to the menu bar, render menu, to render the scene as you would have done with the other renderers.

After the rendering is finished, you simply save the previously created rendering image on your computer.

And also, it is preferable to use this technique rather than that of materials override, because, as its name suggests, this one aims to replace all the materials present in the 3D scene. So exit your materials with custom normal map textures or ambient occlusion. For those who do not have what is the materials override, please read this post: 2.8 - Is it possible to assign (override) a material to a whole collection ?