Build a shot in 3D.

01 / Add a Set

Start with a Set node.

Move the pointer over the graph, press Tab, type Set and press Enter. The Set is also in the palette under Input.

Press Cmd+6 (Ctrl+6 on Windows and Linux) to open the 3D Set panel beside the Viewer: a list of objects on the left, a free 3D view on the right.

02 / Make objects

Make a floor, a sphere and a cube.

Click Add and choose Plane. Its controls appear in the Inspector: type a Width and Height of 10 for a floor.

Add a Sphere, set its Radius, and type where it goes in Translate (X, Y, Z). Drop to surface rests the selection on whatever is below it.

Add a Cube, give it a Size and turn it with Rotate. Every value can be typed, dragged, or moved with the handles in the 3D view.

Drag in the free view to orbit, middle-drag to pan, scroll to zoom; F frames the selection.

03 / A camera

Look through a camera.

Orbit the free view to a framing you like and click Camera from view. The Viewer now renders through that camera.

Fine-tune its Translate and Rotate, and set Focal length in millimetres, as on a real lens. Camera to view moves an existing camera to where you are looking.

04 / Light with an HDRI

Light the scene with an image.

Click Add › Sky and set its Intensity.

Drag a wire from a Read holding a lat-long HDRI towards the Set. As it gets close, every object that can take a picture opens as an input on an arc; drop it on Sky1. The whole scene is now lit by the image.

Select the sphere and set Metallic to 1 and Roughness to 0.05 for a chrome ball that reflects the room. Turn on Sky background on the Set to see the HDRI behind the render.

05 / A picture on a card

Put a picture into the scene.

Add › Card, then set its Width, Height and position. Turn Lit off to show the picture exactly as it is, unaffected by the lights.

Wire any image onto it the same way as the HDRI: drag towards the Set and drop on Card1. Planes, cubes, spheres and imported meshes take pictures too.

06 / Depth of field

Focus like a lens.

Select the camera. A low f-stop (2.8) gives shallow depth of field; Focus distance picks what stays sharp.

Raise the f-stop (8) to bring more of the scene into focus. Leave it at 0 for everything sharp.

07 / Quality and passes

Finish the render for the comp.

Select the Set. More Samples smooth edges, shadows and depth of field; the render takes longer in proportion.

Reflections: Fine or Smooth clears the speckle on metal and gloss under a detailed HDRI.

Turn on Passes to add depth, normals, world position, motion vectors and Cryptomatte. Pick them from the Viewer's channel menu, or use them downstream like any EXR layers.