metallic objects in scene lighting

giaour94_fdcc6cb22c

I was wondering if there is a way to make objects with metallic/reflective shaders still seem shiny in scene lighting (in iray). Without using 'dome and scene' they tend to look black, since there is nothing around for them to reflect. I only want the lighting from the scene, though, not an HDRI dome, so any suggestions?

felis

I am not sure I really understand what you're trying to achieve.

But if you're trying to have your object reflecting something, then why not add a scene ligth or some other colorful item it can reflect?

Szark

You can use a HDRI or Sun/Sky with the Done OFF, so it doesn't show in the render but will provide refections and light

fastbike1

Ogjects will be shiny if they have the proper shader and have a light source shining on them or being reflected toward the object. Iray is a physically based renderer, you scene will have to be lighted in a realistic manner.

They may look black in the viewport if you have dome off and don't use preview lighting (CTRL-L toggles)