LightWave 3D 8 Texturing phần 1 pdf

123 Creating and Using LightWave Surface Presets.. 191 Chapter 10 Using Weight Maps for Texturing.. 196 Using Weight Maps to Control the Input and Placement of Gradients and Textures.. C

LightWave 3D

8 Texturing

Leigh van der Byl

Wordware Publishing, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Van der Byl, Leigh,

1979-LightWave 3D 8 texturing / by Leigh van der Byl.

p cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 1-55622-285-8 (pbk., companion CD-ROM)

1 Computer animation 2 Computer graphics 3 LightWave 3D I Title.

TR897.7.V36 2004

CIP

© 2004, Wordware Publishing, Inc

All Rights Reserved

2320 Los Rios BoulevardPlano, Texas 75074

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any meanswithout permission in writing from Wordware Publishing, Inc

Printed in the United States of America

Deep Paint 3D is a registered trademark of Right Hemisphere.

Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

All brand names and product names mentioned in this book are trademarks or service marks of their respective nies Any omission or misuse (of any kind) of service marks or trademarks should not be regarded as intent to infringe on the property of others The publisher recognizes and respects all marks used by companies, manufacturers, and develop- ers as a means to distinguish their products.

compa-All inquiries for volume purchases of this book should be addressed to WordwarePublishing, Inc., at the above address Telephone inquiries may be made by calling:

(972) 423-0090

This book is dedicated…

To William VaughanWho remains enthusiastic in the face of adversity,

a man who gives so much to the community

for what seems like nothing in return;

To Wes BeckwithWhose support is enough to get any author through

the long and hard process involved in writing;

And lastly, to all artists who like to engage their minds

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Acknowledgments xv

Part 1 The Art and Science of Texturing Chapter 1 Observing the World Around Us 3

Looking at the World a Little Differently 3

The Effects of Time and Weather 5

The Effects of Human Interaction 7

Every Surface Tells a Story 8

Gathering References 11

Chapter 2 Lighting Basics 13

Observing Light and Its Effects 13

Basic Light Options in LightWave 14

Distant Lights 14

Spotlights 15

Point Lights 16

Area Lights 16

Linear Lights 17

Creating Basic Lighting Setups 17

The Key Light 18

The Fill Light 18

The Backlight 19

Part 2 The Surface Editor Chapter 3 Introduction to the Surface Editor 23

Opening the Surface Editor 23

Edit Modes 24

Filtering Options 25

Loading, Saving, and Renaming Surfaces 26

The Preview Window 26

Smoothing 28

Double Sided Surfaces 28

The Comment Field 29

Chapter 4 Surface Attributes 30

Color 30

What Is Color? 30

Using Color 31

Ensuring Color Accuracy 32

Manipulating Color 33

Hue 34

Saturation 35

Brightness 35

Contrast 36

Diffuse 37

What Is Diffuse? 37

Using Diffuse 38

Luminosity 40

What Is Luminosity? 40

Using Luminosity 40

Using Glow with Luminous Surfaces 42

Specularity 44

What Is Specularity? 44

Using Specularity 45

Tinting Specular Highlights 47

Anisotropic Specularity 48

Glossiness 49

What Is Glossiness? 49

Using Glossiness 50

Reflection 50

What Is Reflection? 50

Creating an Environment for Reflections 51

Using Image World 51

Using Textured Environment 52

Using Reflection 53

Diffuse Value and Reflection 54

Activating Reflections in Your Render Settings 55

Transparency and Refraction 56

What Is Transparency? 56

What Is Refraction? 56

Using Transparency and Refraction 57

Transparency, Reflection, and the Fresnel Effect 58

Color Highlights and Color Filter 59

Ray Trace Transparency 60

Ray Trace Refraction 60

Translucency 60

What Is Translucency? 60

Using Translucency 61

Subsurface Scattering in Translucent Surfaces 62

Bump Mapping 63

What Is Bump Mapping? 63

Using Bump Mapping 65

Bump Mapping vs Displacement 67

Contents · · · ·

vi

Chapter 5 Advanced Options in the Surface Editor 69

The Advanced Tab 69

Alpha Channel Options for Surfaces 69

Unaffected by Surface 70

Constant Value 70

Surface Opacity 71

Shadow Density 71

Special Buffers 72

Corona 74

Full Precision Blur 75

Render Buffer Export 76

Soften Reflections 77

Glow 78

Render Outlines 78

Applying Vertex Color Maps 79

Color Highlights 79

Color Filter 79

Additive Transparency 79

Diffuse Sharpness 80

The Environment Tab 80

Setting Up Environments 80

Reflection and Refraction Options 81

Choosing Reflection Settings 81

Choosing Refraction Settings 82

Reflection and Refraction Blurring 84

Shaders 84

Built-in LightWave Shaders 85

BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) 86

Edge Transparency 89

Surface Baker 90

Fast Fresnel and Real Fresnel 94

Halftone 96

Interference 97

Super Cel Shader 99

Thin Film 103

Z Shader 104

Surface Mixer 104

gMIL Occlusion 105

Third-Party Shaders 107

Worley Labs’ G2 107

The Difference between Shading and Texturing 115

Mapping 115

Shading 116

Texturing 117

· · · · Contents

Part 3

Creating Textures

Chapter 6 The Preset Shelf 123

Creating and Using LightWave Surface Presets 123

Adding to the Surface Presets 124

Assigning Surface Presets 124

Organizing and Maintaining Your Presets 125

Creating New Preset Libraries 126

Chapter 7 Vertex Color Maps 128

What Are Vertex Color Maps? 128

Creating Vertex Color Maps 129

The Airbrush Tool 130

Vertex Paint 131

Applying Vertex Color Maps 134

Chapter 8 Procedural Textures 135

Using Procedural Textures 135

Seeing Procedural Textures in Your Viewports 136

Texture Color and Texture Value 139

Texture Scale 139

Using Procedural Textures Creatively 140

Using LightWave’s Built-in Procedural Textures 141

Brick 142

Bump Array 143

Checkerboard 144

Crumple 145

Crust 147

Dots 148

Fractal Noise 149

Grid 151

Honeycomb 152

Marble 153

Ripples and Ripples 2 155

Smoky 1, Smoky 2, and Smoky 3 156

Turbulence 158

Underwater 159

Value 160

Veins 160

Wood 162

Additional LightWave Procedural Textures 163

Coriolis 165

Cyclone 167

Dented 168

FBM and FBM Noise 169

Hetero Terrain 170

Contents · · · ·

viii

Hybrid Multi-Fractal 170

Multi-Fractal 171

Puffy Clouds 171

Ridged Multi-Fractal 171

Turbulent Noise 171

Chapter 9 Gradients 172

Introduction to Using Gradients 172

Input Parameters 173

Previous Layer 173

Bump 174

Slope 174

Incidence Angle 175

Light Incidence 175

Distance to Camera 176

Distance to Object 176

X Distance to Object, Y Distance to Object, and Z Distance to Object 176

Distance to Pivot Point 176

X Distance to Pivot Point, Y Distance to Pivot Point, and Z Distance to Pivot Point 176

Weight Map 177

Surface Thickness 177

Working with Keys 177

Creating and Editing Keys 177

Value 178

Alpha 178

Parameter 178

Smoothing 178

Scale and Shift Keys 179

Scale and Shift Values 179

Invert Keys 180

Gradient Tutorials 180

Tutorial 1: Making a Velvet Surface for an Old Hat 180

Tutorial 2: Snowy Mountain 186

Tutorial 3: Simulating the Fresnel Effect in Glass 191

Chapter 10 Using Weight Maps for Texturing 196

Using Weight Maps to Control the Input and Placement of Gradients and Textures 196

Creating Weight Maps and Weight Map Gradients 198

Weight Map Tutorial: The LightWave Logo 202

Chapter 11 Image Maps 208

Conventions for the Creation of Image Maps 208

Deciding on Image Resolution and Size 208

Using Grayscale Images to Control Attribute Values 211

· · · · Contents

Creating Image Maps for Individual Surface Attributes 212

Overview of Creating and Using Image Maps 212

Preparing and Using Photographs for Image Maps 214

Creating Seamless Textures 218

Creating and Using Images with Alpha Channels 219

Only Use RGB and Grayscale Images! 220

Practical Examples for Painting Image Maps 221

Making a Color Map 222

Making a Luminosity Map 231

Making a Diffuse Map 234

Creating Procedural Diffuse Textures 234

Making a Specular Map 235

Making a Glossiness Map 238

Making a Reflection Map 240

Making a Transparency Map 243

Making a Translucency Map 244

Making a Bump Map 246

Good File Habits 250

3D Paint Solutions 251

Right Hemisphere’s Deep Paint 3D® 252

Program Overview 253

Maxon’s BodyPaint 3D 254

Program Overview 255

Chapter 12 The Image Editor 257

Introduction to the Image Editor 257

Loading Images 257

Replacing Images 259

Cloning Images 260

Preview Display Options 260

The Source Tab 261

Image Type 261

Still 261

Sequence 261

Animation 262

Reference 262

Alpha Channel 262

Interlace 263

Sequence Digits 263

Frame Rate 264

First Frame and Last Frame 264

Start Frame 264

In and Out 264

Post Behavior 265

The Editing Tab 265

Brightness 265

Contrast 266

Contents · · · ·

x

Hue 266

Saturation 266

Gamma 266

Invert 267

Default 267

The Processing Tab 267

Chapter 13 The Texture Editor 269

Layer Opacity and Blending Modes 269

Using Layer Opacity 270

Understanding and Using Blending Modes 271

Normal 271

Additive 272

Subtractive 273

Difference 274

Multiply 274

Divide 275

Alpha 275

Texture Displacement 277

Other Options in the Texture Editor 277

Invert Layer 278

Texture Axis 279

Reference Object 279

World Coordinates 280

Automatic Sizing 280

Scale 280

Position 281

Rotation 282

Falloff 282

Extra Options When Using Images 285

Width and Height Tile 285

Pixel Blending 286

Texture Antialiasing 287

Strength 287

Texture Amplitude 287

Part 4 Texture Projections and Mapping Chapter 14 Standard Projection Techniques 291

Introduction to Standard Projections 291

Planar Projection 292

Using Planar Projections 292

Applying an Image Using Planar Projection 293

Planar Stretching/Dragging 294

Blending Planar Projections 296

Blending with Falloff 296

· · · · Contents

Blending with Gradients 298

Blending with Alpha Channels 302

Cylindrical Projection 302

Using Cylindrical Projections 302

Applying an Image with Cylindrical Projection 303

“Capping” Cylindrical Objects 303

Ensuring Seamless Mapping 304

Using Adobe Photoshop’s Offset Filter to Hide Seams 305

Using the Width Wrap Amount Option 306

Cylindrical Projection Tutorial: Applying a Label to a Soda Can 307 Spherical Projection 310

Using Spherical Projections 310

Applying an Image with Spherical Projection 311

Ensuring Seamless Mapping 312

Using Adobe Photoshop’s Polar Coordinates Filter to Check Seams 312

Spherical Mapping Tutorial: Applying a Texture to a Planet 313

Cubic Projection 318

Using Cubic Projections 318

Chapter 15 UV Mapping and Editing 319

Preparing your Model and Creating UV Maps 319

Introduction to UV Mapping 319

Planning Your UV Maps 320

Tips for Better UV Maps 322

To Freeze, Or Not to Freeze? 322

Multiple UV Maps in a Single Surface 322

Initial Placement of Seams 323

Using Parts 324

The Problem with UVs and Subdivision Patches (sub-ds) 324

Don’t Panic! 325

Planar UV Maps 326

Using Planar Maps 326

Planar UV Map Tutorial: Unwrapping a Sword 328

Cylindrical and Spherical UV Maps 331

Using Cylindrical and Spherical UV Maps 331

Placing the Initial Seam 332

Cylindrical Map Tutorial: Unwrapping a Human Head 333

Atlas UV Maps 343

Using Atlas Maps 343

Making an Atlas UV Map 345

Atlas UV Map Tutorial: Unwrapping a Small Building 346

Chapter 16 Map Transformation and Editing Tools 359

UV Map Editing Tools 359

General Commands 360

Set Map Value 360

Contents · · · ·

xii

Copy Vertex Map 360

Delete Vertex Map 361

Rename Vertex Map 361

Clear Map 361

Cull Map 361

Normalize Map 362

Using the UV Mapping Tools 362

New UV Map 362

Make UVs 363

Flip UVs 363

Transform UV 364

Poly Map 364

Point Maps 364

Set UV Value 365

Polygon Normal UVs 365

UV Spider 365

Guess Viewport UV Image 368

Texture Guide 368

Tips for Editing UV Maps Successfully 370

The Necessity for Editing UV Maps 370

Understanding Discontinuous UV Maps 371

Using the Unweld Command 373

The Annoying Subdivision Distortion Problem 373

Eliminating Stretching 374

Combining Different UV Maps 378

Patience 379

Part 5 Animating Textures Chapter 17 Enveloping Basics 383

Animatable Surface Parameters in LightWave 384

Part 6 Effects Processing Chapter 18 Image Filters in LightWave 389

How Image Filters Work 390

Using Image Filters to Enhance Surfaces 390

Bloom 390

Corona 392

Soften Reflections 396

Chapter 19 Creating Hair and Fur with Worley Labs’ Sasquatch 398

Adding the Plug-in to Your Scene 399

Sasquatch Features at a Glance 399

· · · · Contents

Part 7

Quick Tutorials

Chapter 20 Metal Surfaces 405

Metal Tutorial 1: Car Paint and Chrome Shading 405

Metal Tutorial 2: Desert Eagle Pistol 411

Metal Tutorial 3: Rusty Metal Textures 424

Summary of Tips for Creating Metal Surfaces 431

Chapter 21 Wood Surfaces 432

Wood Tutorial 1: A Guitar 432

Wood Tutorial 2: An Old Crate 439

Summary of Tips for Creating Wooden Surfaces 443

Chapter 22 Organic Surfaces 444

Organic Tutorial 1: An Eyeball 445

Organic Tutorial 2: A Human Face 448

Summary of Tips for Creating Organic Surfaces 462

Appendix A Commonly Used Words, Terms, and Phrases 463

Appendix B A Guide to Image Formats 465

Appendix C Refraction Index Chart 470

Appendix D Web Links 473

Index 475

Contents · · · ·

xiv

so cool, and to the very talented staff and students at the Universal puter Arts Academy in Cape Town.

Com-To all my friends around the world: Leonard Teo, Tito A Belgrave, AliTezel, Mark Snoswell, and the rest of the fantastic team at CG Talk, withoutwhom I would still be stuck in a dead-end studio

To Yves Adam and Ian Joyner, for the constant virtual company, theoverwhelming support, and all the laughs And to Phil Lunt for that “secretsmiley.”

Big, big, big thanks to William Vaughan, Deuce Bennet, and NickBoughen for all the help they have given me with this book, and for theexceptional expertise that they have consistently shared Without William,this book would never have happened, and I would still be slaving away in acrummy studio where I was really unhappy

Also to Andreas Maanika, David Maas, Amaan Akram, Robert Padbury,Thomas Pottie, and the international LightWave community, as well as allthe other cool people on the CG Talk forums, for daily inspiration and sup-port You guys know who you are

To Mr Steve Worley and Steve Hurley at Worley Laboratories, as well

as to Mary Alice Krayecki and the team at Right Hemisphere, and BjornMarl at Maxon for the very cool software!

And, of course, to all the great people at Wordware Publishing, cially Wes Beckwith, who have made the process of writing this book soeasy and so much fun

espe-This book was largely written while under the influence of the expanding aural landscapes of the highly inspirational music genius PeterGabriel Add to that a healthy dose of Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, DeadCan Dance, Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Chemical Brothers, Verdi, Puccini,Mozart, Bizet, Haydn, Deep Forest, loads of traditional and crossover Ara-bian, Indian, and African music, and admittedly, a lot of trashy ’80s pop andmetal, as well as cheesy musicals Without music, I would have no inspira-tion to create

mind-This page intentionally left blank.

Part 1

The Art and Science of Texturing

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Chapter 1

Observing the World Around Us

Looking at the World a Little Differently

Before we begin to explore all the theory and techniques that are involved

in the process of texturing, it is vital to observe the world around you insuch a way as to enable you to understand exactly what you need to createwithin the computer-generated environment in which you work Merelyobserving the world on a superficial level is not sufficient Take a lookaround you What do you see? Naturally, you see the world that you havebeen looking at every single day of your life

Now take another look around you This time, concentrate on every ferent surface that you see and describe to yourself exactly what the surfacelooks like When you begin to describe what you see, you will realize thatevery surface is comprised of many different qualities

dif-Concentrate on one particular surface What colors are in the surface?Are there any scratches, fingerprints, or other blemishes or imperfections

in it? Is it reflective? Does any light penetrate the surface? Answering tions such as these will help you to understand exactly what you need toknow in order to recreate a surface such as the one that you are examining.Look at the photo of a dusty electric guitar in Figure 1-1 on the follow-ing page The fingerprints in the dust tell us that someone (me!) has

ques-recently touched it However, the heavy layer of dust tells us that the guitarhas probably been sitting unused for some time (I just don’t have all thatmuch time to practice anymore.)

Touch the surface Is it hot or is it cold? Smooth or rough? The actualtactile quality of the surface is very important To make a texture believable,you have to be able to convey to viewers exactly what the surface wouldfeel like if they were to reach out and touch it The art of creating textures is

so much more than just defining the colors of surfaces; it is about creatingthe quality and tangibility of them too

To become a texturing artist,one needs to observe and experi-ence the world in this manner Make

a habit of noticing all the tiny details

in everything, and how they alterthe way in which you perceive theactual surfaces These are thedetails that you have to create inorder to make interesting andbelievable textures

As crazy as it sounds, I oftenfind myself looking around andnoticing, and subsequently admir-ing, one particular aspect of a surface I may be sitting in traffic, carefully

studying the specular properties of the back of a garbage truck, or sitting in

a movie theater, closely examining the unusual and fascinating falloff of light

on the plush cushioning of theater seating In Figure 1-2 we can see a nice

example of the lovely way in which light falls onto velvet This broad falloff

is very different from the falloff of light from plastic or metal

Developing a keen, perhapsalmost rabid, fascination with suchdetail is the key to becoming a greattexturing artist, as it equips youwith an excellent understanding ofhow things look in the real world

The next time you see an oldmetal water tank with amazing rustystreaks all the way down the sides,don’t be too embarassed to run fran-tically up to it, practically foaming atthe mouth, so you can have a closerlook at those incredible orange dripsand smudges that form after years

of sun and storms Touch it, study it, even smell it! Explore every inch of

the surface so that you can see exactly what colors and details are in the

rust, thereby forming an excellent mental reference for any instance in the

future in which you may have to create a rust texture

Just ignore the people who are staring at you as if you are some kind of

weirdo

Figure 1-3 shows some rust that has been building up on the lower tray

of the little portable barbeque that lives out on my third-story balcony

Notice all the different tones within the rust (it is not a single color), and

notice also how the rust has formed in the bottom of the tray, where water

gathers, and not on the sides of it

I cannot emphasize enough theimportance of this kind of attitude.You have to become excited aboutthe way things look That way, youwill find the process of recreatingthem exciting and enjoyable too.

By the time you have finishedreading this book, you will be wellversed in the knowledge of all thedifferent attributes and qualities ofwhich surfaces in this world arecomprised Once you are armedwith all that knowledge, identifyingand examining these properties will be very easy for you to do, and willgreatly aid you in the process of observing things in a manner benefitingyour texturing skills

The Effects of Time and Weather

It is safe to say that nothing in this world remains untouched by time orweather One of the biggest mistakes made by texturing artists is overlook-ing, and consequently excluding, the effects that the world, as well as justthe mere existence of the object in question within the dimension of time,has on any surface All too often we see things created in 3D that are justtoo clean I am not suggesting that everything needs to look completelywrecked and ancient, but it is important to show some weathering in yourtextures, however subtle

When texturing things that generally remain outdoors, as opposed tothings that are usually sheltered, you have to consider how the weather willhave affected it over time A house in a nice, quiet, sunny suburb is going toshow some form of aging and damage, no matter how often the lovinghomeowner sprays the structure down with the garden hose The sun, rain,and wind affect everything they touch to some degree, regardless ofwhether these things are manmade or natural

The two most damaging aspects of weather are the sun and wind Raindoes have a considerable impact on things, but since there are no places onearth where it rains every single day, its effect is not as consistently damag-ing as the other two, but rather plays a slightly different role, which wediscuss in a moment

Take a walk outside, and notice the way in which the weather hasaffected everything

The sun dries things out, causing colors to fade and substances likepaint or mud to become brittle and crack (see Figure 1-4, which is a photo of

· · · · Observing the World Around Us

The Art and Science of Texturing

Figure 1-3

my balcony wall at home), while the wind

blows minute particles of sand and other

debris around, gradually causing minute

ero-sion on everything

The wind can also create very tiny subtle

details, such as grains of sand in paint and

var-nish that may have become stuck in the

coating while it was drying The wind also,

obviously, carries dust and other dirt around,

causing it to become lodged in cracks,

scratches, joins, and any other abrasions or

irregularities on surfaces Another detail to

note is that if the wind has been blowing in

only one direction, the dust will all lie on the

same side of things too

The effects of rain can

have quite an impact on the

appearance of things Apart

from the obvious examples

such as streaking paint and

dirt, it also causes streaks of

rust to form over time, as

shown in Figure 1-5

Areas that experience a

fair amount of rain will

gen-erally produce foliage that is

far more lush and green than

areas that do not It is

essen-tially, and in most cases, not

so much a damaging effect but a nourishing one

Of course it can also be a destructive force, as in the examples of

cyclones and other tropical storms, but since water is, for the most part, one

of the main sources of life on this planet, its effect is usually a more

appeal-ing and welcome one Areas that have a lot of moisture present, and

especially if they also have less intrusion from the sun, tend to allow the

growth of molds, moss, and lichens, which are subtle yet interesting and

important details that convey to the viewer what the environment feels like

Notice the manner in which all these weather elements affect different

substances in different ways Bricks weather in a different fashion than

wood Depending on their construction or the substance from which they

are made, some surfaces are able to withstand these effects better than

oth-ers For instance, car paint is covered in a special lacquer that protects it

from the sun and prevents things from sticking to it, whereas a metal

mail-box will rust and gather dirt, even if the two are positioned right alongside

one another in a scene It is essential that you do not weather everything inone scene equally, but rather treat each individual surface in the uniquemanner that suits it.

The effect of time is easy to observe The longer something exists inthis world, the more wear and tear it will have An old building is not going

to look as clean and perfect as a newly built one Even if an old building isstill in good condition, structurally speaking, its walls and windows aregoing to show some form of aging These marks could come not only fromthe weather but also from interaction with people

The Effects of Human Interaction

Humans have a remarkable effect on their surroundings Every single day ofour lives, we go about from place to place, leaving our mark on everythingthat we touch This goes beyond just mere fingerprints and footprints Theway in which we handle items that we use determines, to a large degree,the manner in which they gather dust and grime and develop telltale signs

of wear and tear

Take, for instance, the example of a light switch Sure, after many years

of use, the entire switch and mounting will become somewhat grubby andworn, but if you were to examine it very closely, you would notice areaswhere the plastic has become worn in a more specific manner You do noteven have to actually examine a light switch to know that the actual switchpart will have developed streaks from fingers being dragged over it everytime a person has used it These streaks become so worn into the plasticthat eventually it becomes impossible to completely remove every trace ofthem It is almost as if they become a part of the plastic itself Even if theactual streaks are not brown and dirty, there is still a trace of them that can-not be erased

This sort of specific, localizedmark is a typical example of humaninteraction and how we affect thesurfaces of the items around us.Let us consider another exam-ple: your computer mouse Nomatter how much you clean yourmouse, you will never completelyremove the marks that you leave onthe buttons As I mentioned before,these marks do not have to be literalstreaks of grime No matter howfaint the marks are, they are there

to stay The same goes for your

· · · · Observing the World Around Us

The Art and Science of Texturing

Figure 1-6

computer keyboard Eventually, the buttons are going to develop a slightly

worn appearance

When texturing anything, you have to consider what manner of human

interaction affects the object Consider not only the actual manner of

inter-action, but also the frequency and purpose of such use

Every Surface Tells a Story

Now that we have discussed the effects of time, weather, and human

inter-action on the surfaces of all items that we find in the world around us, we

can begin to put all of these surface effects together and start adding further

unique details to each texture to create, for the viewers, a sense of history

for the surface that you are making This makes the textures not only far

more interesting to look at but also much more believable The key to

believability lies in convincing the viewer that the object has some sort of

purpose and conveying the manner of that purpose by creating subtle details

on its surface that give an indication as to what function the item may have

Creating a texture for something is so much more than just defining the

colors, light reflection and absorbance properties, and other properties of an

object or character It is about creating a sense of identity for it and giving

the viewers an idea of where this item or character has been and what it has

been doing

For example, if you were making textures for a soldier or warrior type

character, you would add things like small scars and such, because a

charac-ter that has been involved in fighting or aggressive training would most

definitely acquire a few marks on his body along the way His clothing and

weapons would also show battle scars of some sort, perhaps scrapes from

shrapnel or even actual rips, tears, or gouges from hand-to-hand combat

However, it would be easy to get a bit carried away with all this and just end

up adding loads of details that just result in a really disheveled and

messed-up looking individual Sure, a soldier who has just been fighting is

going to look a bit messed up, but the kinds of details that tell a story are the

very specific, unique little ones Perhaps, if the warrior is wearing armor,

there might be one deep gouge in the metal that has tiny flecks of copper in

it A tiny, almost indiscernible detail such as this would indicate that the

weapon that had caused that particular cut in the armor was made of copper

If his armor has been pierced, then perhaps it would be a nice idea to add

tiny shards of wood around the puncture to indicate that the damage had

been caused by a wooden arrow or bolt Details like these add a certain

ele-ment of richness to the character, and to the world that you have created for

him, by creating a sense of where he has been and what he has encountered

Let’s take another example: an old softcover book If you were to create

textures for an old book with a soft cover that has been read many times,

what sorts of details could you add to it that could make it look unique?

Chapter 1 · · · ·

Part 1

8