Once I've got an idea roughed out - it always brings up things I know nothing about. The funny part is - they're always in the critical path for completing my idea!

So, it's time to make small tests (that are easy to control and take very little time to setup / complete) to give me a quick education about my assumptions.

1. Rendering with Mental Ray
   • Primitive (cube) room
   • Primitive (sphere) object
   • Single Light
2. Depth of Field
   • Changing camera settings - looking at impact of REAL rendering
   • Build interactive camera that drives settings
3. Sub-Surface Scattering
   • Setup profile
   • Create masks to control
4. Shader tests
   • Noise - looking at impact of REAL rendering
   • Textures - looking at impact of REAL rendering

Note: Testing usually separates the expert from the beginner. The expert needs to know with some accuracy how their work will behave from actual experience - the beginner frequently makes assumptions on 'how things SHOULD work' based on product guides and marketing promises.