lighting is the key .. and good lighting can make a good scene look great.. I no where near others work.
the basic lighting set up you have 3 lights around your model.
you can have more if you want.. depending what your rendering..
It been a while since I last really rendered a pic .. my star wars (Pick up) one had a large number of lights .. even under the falcon ..
render and post something .. if I can suggest something .. I will
