The near-final render, with a less-shiny case, individual wood planks, and slight depth-of-field. Still looking to add a bit more narrative to the scene!
First shaded pass. The normal map is not conveying enough detail in the grooves here, even with a high level of contrast, so I decided to model the planks individually. The planks are also running parallel to the knife, and the case is a bit too shiny.
The first lighting pass! The rim light from the light portal is not very apparent here, so that has to be tweaked. A bit more fill light on the left side of the case would help as well.
The near-final model, lit with just a skydome and a low, warm keylight.
