Yes, this is a first step test of the macros and their results.  I had the
ambient set high enough to make out the details all around.  I wanted to be
certain of seeing what the textures and parts would look like before going to my
final settings.  Once I have the mechanical placement and arrangement worked
out, I will put everything back to a dull finish and maybe even a negative
ambient to heighten the shadows.
    In a final rendering, it seems that the things you cannot directly see make
a great deal of difference.  In real photographs, there is far more detail than
"strikes the eye", so to speak.  I always enhance my lighting at first so I can
be assured that those details will be present.  Then, when I go to a more
realistic lighting, the details blend in almost to invisibility, but definitely
add an atmosphere of realism.
    Perhaps our perception of what is real and what is rendered is delimited by
those details that we perceive subliminally, without actually "seeing" them.

Cheers!

Chip Shults
My robotics, space and CGI web page - http://home.cfl.rr.com/aichip

light_source{0#macro k(_)sphere{13*z+i*_.5pigment{agate}finish{phong.3}}#end
1}#macro _(s,i,g)#if(s)k(1)k(-1)_(s-1i+g,g)#end#end _(3x+3*y<2,-2>)_(2x,y)_(
2x-y,x)_(4x*3,-y)_(4<3,1>x)_(2x*6,-y)

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