Thanks jiro, for the rendering I use two apps most of the time, either Carrara or Cinema4D. I am trying to switch to Cinema4D as my main one. I don't have a good feeling about the development of Carrara under DAZ.

I try to keep my scenes simple, in Carrara I would use a HDRI to drive the GI then one or two lights to fill in and pick up highlights. Maybe render out an AO pass to accentuate boundaries on components. I don't usually use a backdrop as this takes to long to render and then just drop a gradient in the background for visual interest

In C4D I use one or two area lights and an infinite light and an AO pass. I may or may not use lightcards if depending on reflection requirements.