Wooden floors

[zun_kian]

Hello everyone!
Just a question (and guide needed) regarding wooden floors:

What's the best settings (Diffuse, Bump, Reflectivity, and Gloss or shine) to have that great looking renders of interiors with wooden floors?

An immediate reply is appreciated.

zun_kian

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Wooden floors

Without any reflection your floors will look flat, and without any glossiness your floors will look like mirrors. Around .75 is a good glossiness setting. That should give you a good base. The best looking floors will probably have a good bump map (relatively fine) and maybe a reflection map as well, but those aren't requirements. Diffuse is obviously whatever map you got.

[West1000]

Re: Wooden floors

What is a reflection map and how do you add one?

[West1000]

Re: Wooden floors

What's the difference between a reflective layer and a reflective map?

[stefanq]

Re: Wooden floors

West, check the download section, where you will find lot's of floor materials,
with different reflections, so you can have an idea about how reflection works.

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Wooden floors

A reflection layer is a whole other "layer" that deals with reflection...this layer has a number of parameters and different adjustments that can be made.

A map is an image that is used to adjust reflection values. Reflection maps are grayscale images where white expresses total reflection (a mirror) and black expresses no reflection (diffuse).

You can simply put a reflection map into the reflection slot, however that will lead to a relatively flat reflection since it won't vary its intensity based on how you view it. The better way (IMHO) is to use a reflection map WITHIN fresnel mapping. With a fresnel map you can set an image for both the fresnel color (aka maximum reflection) and the refract color (aka minimum reflection). If you take a map and put that within the fresnel color slot within a fresnel map, then you'll have your reflection map vary with viewing angle as well. Most of the wood floor examples in the download section use this technique.

[West1000]

Re: Wooden floors

Thank you. There is so much to learn.

[West1000]

Re: Wooden floors

I downloaded some wood floor materials from the download section. I noticed it came with a few png images and a vismat. What do I do with the vismat? I know how to add the png image but I don't see how that provides me with preset reflection map settings.

[West1000]

Re: Wooden floors

I figured out how to import the vismat. Do I still have to load the image of the wood floor or is that already done for me? Does the vismat have everything already done?

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Wooden floors

The vismat already has the maps associated with the correct parameters. However, unless you had the exact same directory structure as me when I made them, then you'll have to "point" Vray to where the textures are on your hard drive. Simply go into the map on the diffuse layer. The file itself should already be there, just make sure that you have the right folder for it. After that it should find all of the other maps.