Tips on making a map for smooth corrugated?

[danio]

Hi all - I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for making smoothly corrugated metal with displacement? I've done a gradient ramp and just a simple gradient but they just give you a linear rise and fall, leaving you with a hard V shape. I was able to hack it by using bezier handles in the output section of a gradient ramp but it's hard to get those handlebars perfect and I think it shows in the end product.

I tried 'ease in ease out' but that didn't do it either.

Thanks!

[Lupaz]

why not a simple map in photoshop? a little square with the repeating pattern would be enough.
Otherwise, a gradient ramp should work I believe: start with black, white on the center, end with black again. the smoothness comes from the gradients themselves.

[rjohnson33]

You could model a small section that will repeat at the edges and take a quick z-depth render of that to get a displacement map. Might be quicker than trial and error with generating the map you want in 2d.

[danio]

Oh ok yep a z-depth pass is a good idea. I've done that before with mesh.

And as for the gradient map that was my first attempt and it's just a linear V shape that results believe it or not. I thought it would work too...