Faking glossy

[zapcat]

Hi,

Here's a test render of a fence for a scene I have to do for a client. I want to give the metal a glossy look, but I don't want to start using reflections as the face count is going to be huge. 22,000 faces with only 3 fences and I expect there to be over 100 fences in the final scene!

Can anyone advise me on how I can achieve this?



Zapcat

[deneb26]

hi zapcat

1st try to reduce the amount of polys!

2nd take a max material instead of a vraymat and tweak the specular-curve!

3rd: Use a kind of environment texture for the fence like this one:



greez
ale

[Geddart]

Wow, Very pleasing Task...

Well actually i dont think you have to fake glossy reflections. Do you have to do an animation or just some pictures? If you use interpolyted glossy reflections it should be no Problem in a single image. (I would reduce the max rate of the glossies.) Btw it's not the Polycount that counts - it's more the size of the glossies in your final image.
If you still think you have to fake it you can try to use Fallof Maps together with smart Mapping. (Welcome back good old reflection map) You can also render out a normal Map of the Fence (Scanliner or PSD Manager) and adjust the colours later in post.
There are some good procedural Symbiont Maps for faking metal too.

Oh, if you run into problems with AntiAliasing try to use simple two level or fixed rate with the randomize function. (It's also good for complex surfaces like

Good luck!

[flipside]

Can't you just use an opacity map to fake the whole fence instead of using an actually modeled version?

[zapcat]

Flipside, this fence will be seen up close so I'm not sure a opacity map will stand up to close inspection.

[mann]

Hi,

I think you should just use a stardard gray material with a high specular setting that should be fine for what your tring to do. Because if thats how close you plan on getting in the pic you posted, then all your going to get is, alot of unwanted render times. With reflects and glossiness and on top of that your going to use raytrace shadows and that also is going to take up rendering time on a mesh like a fence. And most gray fences if you look at them don't have reflections, nor are they glossiness . And if they do have a coat of plastic or paint on them you have to be very very close to notice it. So cut your self a break and yous your time on something else that has more eye appeal than a fence.

[flipside]

Yes for close-up views this will be a problem. But maybe use a couple of modeled fences and the ones in the back can be opacity mapped? I don't know how much the polycount will increase your render times, so maybe my suggestion is even more time consuming because you have to make the maps etc... I also think you can get away with simple grey colored material. If you go really close you can still give these close fences a reflective material.

[zapcat]

Y'know Flipside, I just woke up and came to exactly the same conclusion! Thanks for planting the seeds of the idea. Somehow I think the extra time done making the maps will be made up for in quicker rendering times.

Thanks!

Zap