Because you can never have too many lightsabers

I know, it’s been done a million times, but I built a few lightsabers to try and improve my modelling skills a few months ago, and although they are relatively easy to model, I was pretty pleased with the results. I never got round to creating a proper render for them though so they have pretty much gone to waste. Since I have some free time over the next week I decided to update the renders for portfolio use, with this being the first of them.


There are a few things i’d like to improve upon. Firstly, i’m really happy with the ground layer and the emission coming through, but it just doesn’t seem right in the area at the front. I intentionally didn’t have the emission here as it didn’t look great, but I think it still looks a little off without it.

Secondly, the blade could do with some work. I did it in photoshop, simply because I wasn’t sure how to deal with it using nodes. I rendered the layer off correctly and masked it with lightsaber hilt, but as soon as I add the compositing the effects begin to layer on top. Would I simply need to mask it off? And how would I do it without it looking bad?

Then finally, textures. I haven’t textured the model, and I do kinda like the way it looks without them, it seems to work well with the background, but i’m thinking of giving it a go. What’s the general opinion? Maybe at the very least the ground could do with some sort of texture, which also may solve the first problem I pointed out.

If anyone’s interested, here is my previous render back when I did the model.


I like it a lot, as far as texturing I always ask the same thing, what does the object look like when being used? Without a hand holding it there’s nothing to compare it to aesthetically so there’s no way to say if it needs textures or not. If not that then maybe a “story” within the image suggesting why it’s laying on the ground, just something to add a bit of life to the render. The lighting really came out great red light is not an easy thing to pull off.

Thanks for the comments. Here’s an updated version. Did some subtle texturing and altered the blade a little. I think I like it.

Did it all in Blender this time. You can see what I mean in regards to the glow overlapping parts it shouldn’t.


How would I re-add the depth of field with nodes? The ground is on its own layer already.


Just a low sample image testing a concept, based on coalminds feedback as to telling a story to why the lightsaber would be on the ground. Opinions?

It’s just a sculpted plane to give the impression of a cape and then a basic male mesh with specific materials. You can assume what it’s intended to be.