Material Tests (RT)

[simmsimaging]

Thanks Robert. Part of it is Vray Fur and a few threads were done in Photoshop.

Thanks Steve. The card is actually just a shell on a plane, alpha mapped to the shape of the tag. The mapping and a bit of Photoshop does the rest. I was thinking of going back and working on that edge some more though. Jim (my associate, and the modeler around here) thought it could use even more layering in the paper. I'll probably update it later.

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[ShaunDon]

Those are really wonderful, Brett -- just stellar! I'd be very interested to see your material properties and sample of the maps you used for the wood. The material has a texture far beyond anything I've been able to achieve.

[simmsimaging]

Thanks very much Shaun. Not to sound like a broken record but I credit a lot of it to the RT system for the realtime feedback which makes it possible for me to really get in there and fine-tune more intuitively. Anyway, I will post some pics of the maps and the material settings for the wood box when I have a few minutes to pull it together.

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[ShaunDon]

Really appreciate the feedback on the RT -- we've been watching with great anticipation all the posts on it, I hope we'll be able to pick up a license very soon! There's no question that it will greatly improve our ability to hone materials and lighting much more quickly. Till then, I'll be jealously reading everyones posts on the subject!

[simmsimaging]

Shaun: I went back to the file to pull some screens for you but to be honest the material is a bit complex and there are quite a few maps - which I just don't have time to organize into web-friendly formats right now. I have attached a screen cap of the overall VrayBlend material in Node Joe, which should give you a sense of it. Sorry if this isn't super helpful.

There are two mats for each major part: the main box wood, and the more raw wood seen through the deeper scratches. Each is a blend of a more matte and a more glossy version (for the raw wood it's more of a simple gloss mat for the coating on that), and the blending as well as various parameters are mapped to create some natural variations. It looks a bit tricky (to me anyway), and it is a bit tricky for me to figure out now, but it evolved quite intuitively by playing and working through the RT feedback. Some parameters had to be refined with full renders, but the vast majority were almost fully developed in the RT renders.

At some point I may post the entire material, but many of the maps are 8K and hand-painted for the box object so are really only good for this one thing.

Again, sorry if it's not a huge help.

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[Neilg]

Good lord, that's insane.

I knew the materials were going to be fairly deep but thats pretty silly. Props

[ShaunDon]

Now that's really something! I can definitely see where using RT to visualize would really benefit from node-based materials. Thanks for sharing, Brett -- you're right, it's too compicated for someone else to dissect, but it's really inspiring to see what a skillful artist can achieve with these tools. Props seconded!

[simmsimaging]

Thanks guys, but that material complexity evolves, it's not like I had that planned in my head and just went from nothing to the finished mat. It began with simple materials. I just pushed and added as I worked through it. This is where RT really helps: I think it's near impossible to accurately predict how all the parameters/maps combine and interact. Sometimes the result you are looking for is just 1% from where you are, but who has time to run endless 1% variation render tests? More often we do larger steps because it's too slow and clunky a workflow to get a good creative vibe running, and then you miss so many possibilities.

The map choices are based on the subject (gotta have wood in this case) and the breakup maps are partly driven by that, but the rest I think comes from getting a feel for what sort of breakup you need to make things feel more natural. It's intuitive/experience I guess, but that part can be pretty forgiving since just about any breakup is better than none at all.

The end mats could probably be simplified once the end product has been found, but what you see there gives a better sense of the process of exploration/development. Also, the added complexity allows for more subtle variations so I tend to keep it anyway.

Anyway, blah blah blah. I talk to much - sorry.
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[simmsimaging]

Update on page 1

Added a new test of a sponge material to the first page. I'll try and organize future updates onto the first page to make it easier.

Feedback and critiques always welcomed.

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[jonnybefree]

wow great sponge!
could you tell rendertimes?

[bluescreen2]

wow. i really like the sponge-body. 1+ also for this idea !

[simmsimaging]

Thanks - I was pretty happy with the way it worked out.

Jonas: I honestly can't remember. I did it about a month ago and did not have the stamp turned on. If I have some time I will re-run one and let you know, but this week is pretty busy!

Bluescreen2: it was a good idea, but not mine. The ad agency developed the concept, I was just testing for the job.

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[Preisler]

What a nice shape for a sponge - and a great sponge material!

Preisler

[GVC1123]

Great stuff, the materials are very good.

[simmsimaging]

Updated first post

Just a bump - updated the first post with some new ones and a few updated versions of others.

C&C appreciated.

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