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Need a good Chrome texture
About Truespace Archives
These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.
They are retained here for archive purposes only.
Need a good Chrome texture // Work in Progress
Post by rjeff // Apr 6, 2007, 3:58pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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OK I am doing a old 50's style logo for a car group my chruch is starting up and I need a really good chrome texture for it. Does anybody have one? |
Post by spacekdet // Apr 6, 2007, 4:42pm
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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It's not so much a texture as setting the reflectance channel to mimic chrome. Any number of the basic included shaders will work- Caligari Phong, Caligari Metal enhanced, etc., all will produce a chrome like finish.
Part of getting it right is surrounding your chrome object with something for it to reflect. This can be the surrounding scene, an IBL, (but don't use only IBL to light it because the specular highlights won't be sharp), or a large sphere or dome that encloses the scene. Chrome is reflective, and unless there's something around it to reflect, it won't look right. Use Area Render or Scene Render to check- Object Render won't show reflections.
Here's one I banged together real quick using Cali Metal Enhanced:
UPDATE: If you really want to get fancy you can add a second masked layer and mess about with different levels of shine, reflectance, or diffusion. This will give it a bit of a smeary/fingerprinted look if you want less-than-perfect chrome. |
Post by rjeff // Apr 7, 2007, 5:29am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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so will any light do? My weakest spot..and there are alot of them...is lighting.
I really don't understand the IBL that much. Can I just put a image on a plane infront of the thing I wanted chromed and then just add a regular light? |
Post by spacekdet // Apr 7, 2007, 6:40am
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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You can do it with a plane, but depending on the size of the plane or the shape of the chromed object you might see it's edges. The fun is in experimenting! Almost any of the other light types will work for your main, or 'key' light- a spot, a local, or an infinite will do fine.
Think of an IBL as a wireframe sphere with one light (or more, depending on the resolution parameter) at each intersection of the mesh. If an image is assigned to it, each light will take it's 'cue' for color and intensity from the image. If you have 'show environment' option checked, the IBL will be visible in the background-(and as reflections in your chrome object). You will want to use a camera or viewpoint inside the circumference of the IBL if you have 'show enviro' on, or else you'll see a render of the outside of the IBL sphere. IBL is good for simulating environmental lighting and fill lighting, but because it's a soft, diffuse light, it doesn't do justice to producing the hard, sharp specular highlights that chrome needs. The main advantage in your case is that it provides something for the chrome to reflect. I would turn shadows off for an IBL that is there just to provide reflections- or you'll see the disadvantage to IBL- slower renders. Images that work especially well in IBLs are gradients, landscapes, or for your case, perhaps a close-up photo of a chrome bumper! Any photo with blacks, whites, greys, or blues would help intensify the effect.
If you render out to a 32 bit TGA file, your background will be on a separate layer from your logo object- handy for isolating the logo for further 2D work- like saving it as a transparent gif that you can paste at the top of the club newsletter, etc. |
Post by TheWickedWitchOfTheWeb // Apr 7, 2007, 7:45am
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TheWickedWitchOfTheWeb
Total Posts: 858
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If you don't want/need the IBL functions (and slower render times) but want the enviroment for reflection there's always the good old fashioned tried and tested Skydome technique. If you don't want the enviroment/background to show, just scale it bigger or move it sideways so that it's not visible in the render window.
Used to use it a lot until I got 7 with HDRI. The very simple steps to set one up can be found in this fab tutorial by the aforementined spacekdet: http://www.spacekdet.com/tutorials/skydome/ |
Post by rjeff // Apr 7, 2007, 12:24pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Here is the logo...in it's current state. all the textures are just place holder. Yes I know what it resembles. |
Post by Methusela // Apr 7, 2007, 12:58pm
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Methusela
Total Posts: 414
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If I remember right, Splinters did something just like this for one of his Pepe posters. Ask him what shader settings he used, 'cos his turned out perfect! |
Post by spacekdet // Apr 7, 2007, 1:32pm
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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The text is a bit thin and indistinct.
Zooming in might help. |
Post by rjeff // Apr 7, 2007, 1:45pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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I agree. I am going to retool the design abit to make that look better. |
Post by rjeff // Apr 7, 2007, 2:04pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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ok here is a new design. I took out the wnc chapter beacuse it was bigger than the clubs name. I will work that in else where. I also increased the size of the logo to be as big as the default grid. leeme know |
Post by spacekdet // Apr 7, 2007, 2:27pm
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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Much clearer. Love that font.
Can you 'bold' the font to beef it up even a little more?
The letters look flat, were you planning on making it look a) engraved or b) embossed ? - to give it a little more 3D oomph.
Try switching the faceted/autofacet/smooth shading on the 'V' to see what looks best to you. For some reason it looks a little... I dunno..streaky?
Progressing nicely, keep at it! |
Post by rjeff // Apr 7, 2007, 3:35pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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yeah that texture on the v is just a place holder. it will be chrome as well as the letters and the trim around the red plaque. that red plaque will change to. thoes are just there to give you a idea of the color scheme. that font if you want it is rocket scrpit. I also have one called air conditioning if you want them. |
Post by rjeff // Apr 8, 2007, 9:15am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Ok kadet' I tried to do this using your screen cap. I can't seem to repicate it near that. First off...what you are using for your reflection..image that is. Second how do you have it set up..using your skydome technique or do you have it on a plane infront of the ball. Last what light set up are you using? IBL or just a regular light? |
Post by rjeff // Apr 8, 2007, 2:52pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Ok here are the finished images. There are two I want everybody, or whoever reads this post, to vote on. The orange one was lit in Bryce 6. I think personally TS could take some pointers from Bryce in its' atomosphere and easy use of lights and skys..but I digress...the red one was finished in PhotoShop. I like this one pretty good, but to be honest I like the orange one better. I like the smootness of the refletions. |
Post by splinters // Apr 8, 2007, 3:18pm
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Mmmmm...looks familiar...:rolleyes:
Anyways, I just used the standard silver metal from the metals3 library, metallic paint from the shaders library and turned on HDRI (you would need tS 7 for that) but you can fake it...:) |
Post by rjeff // Apr 8, 2007, 3:23pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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but to be fair I did not copy you! I like yours though. Where did you get your font from? |
Post by splinters // Apr 8, 2007, 3:34pm
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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I think we both have Pixar to thank here...:D
As for the font...I simply drew it using the spline tool, swept and bevelled it. |
Post by spacekdet // Apr 8, 2007, 5:32pm
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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For the previous screen cap example I used an IBL; no shadows, show environment on, with an image of my back yard. This provided the reflections and a little bit of fill lighting. Key light was a projector with a gradient image assigned, shadows on, (mapped- Map size-1084, Sharpness 1, Quality 9- I set these numerically, don't just use the Low-Med-High buttons). Backlighting was a skylight, raytraced shadows on, 'Overcast sky'. Shadows on a skylight are usually overkill and a real time suck, but it was such a simple scene it didn't hurt. Tip: right-clicking the intensity slider on a light allows you to set a higher numerical value than just using the slider. |
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