Preparing the model and scene

Before adding materials, let's prepare our model. First, make sure that path objects have been converted to meshes with Alt + C.

Then, we'll combine our various parts together. In the end, I'm just going to be left with two objects: mirrored parts and non-mirrored parts. This will make the texturing a bit easier.

Note

In general, it's good practice to have the minimum number of separate objects as necessary.

Now, we'll add a basic scene to render our spacecraft. I've added a curved background here, along with a mesh lamp and a camera:

Obviously, this is a very simple scene. You could get far more complex with it, but this will work to show off the model.

By pressing  0 on the number pad, you can now look through your camera.

Make sure that your background is large enough and that you see exactly what you want. You may need to adjust the position of various objects.

Now, we'll add an Emission material for our light:

When we switch to the rendered view, we can...