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Experiments Making Realistic LEGO Materials

To learn how to make more realistic Blender materials and renders I decided to remake a LEGO model that actually exists in real life and then compare it with photos of the same model. The one I picked was the 1970 Ferrari 512 M (https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/1970-ferrari-512-m-76906). I made the model in LeoCAD and then I exported it to Blender. I had to improve some LEGO bricks to make them smoother and I also had to paint the stickers myself in Paint.NET. After making a million experiments with light and material settings I managed to produce something that looks like the reference. BUT I actually think they use digital models on the website as well because the reference is too smooth to be a real photo. I know IKEA is only using digital models as well...

Because LEGO are most likely using digital models on their website, I went on to vacuum clean Google on how to make realistic LEGO materials. I found this article: https://stefanmuller.com/exploring-lego-material-part-1/ which I decided to recreate in Blender (the author is using some other software). You can download my version of the material here: https://habrador.itch.io/blender-lego-material

Experiment making a digital 1970 Ferrari 512 M LEGO model: the left one is from the LEGO website and the right one is by me. I think they use digital models on the website as well because the left one is too smooth to be real.

Experiment making a digital 1970 Ferrari 512 M LEGO model: the left one is from the LEGO website and the right one is by me. I think they use digital models on the website as well because the left one is too smooth to be real.

The Ferrari with no textures so you can see previous image wasn't a photo!

The Ferrari with no textures so you can see previous image wasn't a photo!

Experiment to make a realistic LEGO pirate character in Blender. You can download the material here: https://habrador.itch.io/blender-lego-material

Experiment to make a realistic LEGO pirate character in Blender. You can download the material here: https://habrador.itch.io/blender-lego-material

With a single color it's easier to see the noise, dents, smudge, unevenness, scratches, and edge-wear

With a single color it's easier to see the noise, dents, smudge, unevenness, scratches, and edge-wear

YouTube video showing the LEGO pirate material from different angles