Hey gang,
I took a project that was a bit different than what I normally work on.
Still in progress as there are a lot of options yet to be decided by the client—but wanted to share with some like-minded folks that could provide critique at this point. 
Modeled in SOLIDWORKS—Rev C & D—41 hrs invested to this point. No post-processing until all design details are sorted.
Cheers,
M
Wow, this is super unique! I will say that one thing that might make this come alive is a bit more light. A nice outdoor HDRI would probably go a long way. Really neat stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Composition is superb and that wood👀 it looks so rich…inspiring!
Thank you @will.gibbons. Still working my way through your rendering masterclass to pick up some better lighting skills—always appreciate you sharing the knowledge.
Going to experiment with some more lighting and fix various UV mapping misses with the next set.
Cheers,
M
Much appreciated @james.lenane! Was worried about distortion from having to use 20-30mm cameras to fit the scene, but ultimately like the views.
The client has an existing stained redwood fence that I tried to match in a variety of ways until I buckled and picked up a Poliigon wood panel texture. Which I then modified in PS to remove the grooves between each panel and merged it all together so that I could center on model and scale across the deck & fence boards to give the appearance of different grain on each board. Still some visible lines from the panel grooves since I rushed it, but happy with the outcome.
The tree shadows look nice. I’d recommend exploring some photographic image styles to avoid that white blow-out you’re getting on the materials on top of the spa.
Thank you @will.gibbons—greatly appreciate the constructive feedback. Got a little too focused on getting some bloom going!
After some more image style tweaking and additional trees outside of the camera’s view to diffuse the light some more, I’m liking the direction it is headed:
Just love the composition and those soft shadow.
Good job man.
Thank you Simon! Pushing myself to produce better lighting and shadows based on feedback from this community.
Liked that you took it further and love the light and shadows 
Thank you @james.lenane! Still looking to push them a bit further once I can find the time.
Cheers,
M
