Reflective metal

[Tosky]

I've made a new custom model (a sword) of the size of 64 kb, with a rough 1024x1024 texture (1.366kb size, Normal Map also).

Here the file http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8D833A2D

BTW now i need a help/hint from a (maybe consumed ?) texturer.

Inside the file i've included some screens of the sword: look like unrealistic shiny plastic / great lack of reflection.

I look this http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Reflective_Metal but i need much more hints than these:

"You'll then need to tweak the diffuse texture (a.k.a. Color Map / Texture), normal map and it's alpha channel to make it look good. Generally, when you just change the NIF properties, you don't get the best effect. Learning the basic steps is easy but it can be difficult to master the effect. It's a game of tweaking, balancing, and re-tweaking that is more of an art than science to get it to look right."

So, what should i do exactly, when it's say "tweak the diffuse texture (a.k.a. Color Map / Texture), normal map and it's alpha channel to make it look good." ??

I use GIMP 2.6 + DDS plugin, DDS Converter 2.

Any suggestion ?

[Vince]

Tosky,

'Sorry, I can't download your model (I got a massive virus attack last time I downloaded from Megaupload).

A few things that may help: The Diffuse and Ambient material colors make a difference in the .nif render, but do nothing in Oblivion. You can control the overall reflectivity by adjusting the alpha channel of the normal map. Usually the DXT5 format is best for this. You can change how glossy the surface is with the material Glossiness. If you can imagine your texture and material applied to a sphere, the glossiness determines the size of the reflected glint. Low glossiness (1 to 15) = big glint, High Glossiness (25 to 50) = small glint. See: *** Texturing 101 *** at TES Alliance.

Normally, the Apply Mode (in the NiTexturingProperty block details) is APPLY_MODULATE. Some people use APPLY_HIGHLIGHT for metal, although I find the effect unrealistic. Your milage may very. If you get a chance post a screen shot. Good luck.

[donnato]

Yup, Vince has pointed out just what I was going to say too. don`t know just how effective it is but also in blender I set the hardness high to give a sharper reflectivity, then the gloss. You can see the effect in the sphere all the way to the left and I periodically use F12 to render a view of the mesh I`m working on but you have to place a light/lights,a camera,and below the mesh,an empty.Deselect all, then in order select the light,camera THEN the empty,hit cntrl+t and choose track to constraint to help aim the camera and light/s. Now as you move just the empty the camera/light/s will follow. If you move just the camera or just the light/s they will remain focused on the empty. The blender render window can be a bit off at times but it may help you to tune your settings a bit.

[Tosky]

Before

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2017-56-02-75.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2017-55-25-35.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2017-55-19-92.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2017-55-09-32.jpg

After

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2022-39-51-85.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2022-40-16-26.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2022-38-56-07.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2022-38-11-78.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2022-38-15-39.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2022-38-21-45.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2022-38-30-20.jpg

Here my album

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ20

A few things that may help: The Diffuse and Ambient material colors make a difference in the .nif render, but do nothing in Oblivion. You can control the overall reflectivity by adjusting the alpha channel of the normal map. Usually the DXT5 format is best for this. You can change how glossy the surface is with the material Glossiness. If you can imagine your texture and material applied to a sphere, the glossiness determines the size of the reflected glint. Low glossiness (1 to 15) = big glint, High Glossiness (25 to 50) = small glint. See: *** Texturing 101 *** at TES Alliance.

I played a bit only with Nfskope for obtain this result. I must change glossiness and alpha channel from NifSkope, or from gimp/photoshop also ?

Edited December 20, 2010 by Tosky

[Vince]

Tosky, you can change the glossiness by changing the Glossiness parameter in the block details of the NiMaterialProperty block in NifSkope. Alternately, you can change the glossiness, as donnato suggested, by changing the Hardness parameter in Blender. The Glossiness in the .nif file is 1/4th the Hardness parameter in Blender.

You need to use a 2D graphic program to change the alpha value of the normal map. If you have trouble changing the alpha value in the GIMP, see: Creating Transparent Textures, an Alternate Approach here at the Alliance. Note: when you make the normal map partly transparent, you do not need to add a NiAlphProperty block.

Looking at your screen shots, it appears that you changed the Apply Mode from APPLY_MODULATE to APPLY_HIGHLIGHT. I notice horizontal streaks in the texture of the blade. Maybe there's an issue with the UV map?

[donnato]

Tosky,hiya Vince...yup it appears that when your UV is unwrapping so the "grain" of the material is running across the blade instead of along it. You can select-rotate-scale the map to suit more what you want.I`ve even had to do this face by face on my lute which I do NOT suggest as it the definition of tedious. I had a spherical mesh using a wood grain as opposed to your more linear patterns=somewhat easier.Stick with it Tosky, it can get a bit annoying trying to get something just right but the end result is ALWAYS worth it when you get a result you like.

[Tosky]

Tosky, you can change the glossiness by changing the Glossiness parameter in the block details of the NiMaterialProperty block in NifSkope. Alternately, you can change the glossiness, as donnato suggested, by changing the Hardness parameter in Blender. The Glossiness in the .nif file is 1/4th the Hardness parameter in Blender.

- Oh i understand, btw i don't know that "hardness" parameter in Blender i "studying" 3Dmodelling from 4 days only, using UESP tutorials (and english is not my first language) maybe a screenshot for see the location of hardness parameter can be helpful -

Looking at your screen shots, it appears that you changed the Apply Mode from APPLY_MODULATE to APPLY_HIGHLIGHT. I notice horizontal streaks in the texture of the blade. Maybe there's an issue with the UV map?

- Yep that's right. And yes, i notice horizontal streaks also, but the UV map look good for me.

EDIT: oh, thanks Donnato for the suggestion .

2nd EDIT:

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2102-45-31-78.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2102-45-05-85.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2102-44-56-92.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2102-47-06-60.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2102-46-13-51.jpg

http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/?action=view&current=Oblivion2010-12-2102-46-05-06.jpg

I gived opacity (95%) to the leather handle, and i rotate the map of the blade (now it's look less grainy and more reflective).

Edited December 21, 2010 by Tosky

[donnato]

Ok that`s getting to look much better. Maybe just a bit more fine tuning and you`ll have it.

[Tosky]

Ok

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/Oblivion2010-12-2123-38-27-03.jpg

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/Oblivion2010-12-2123-37-58-06.jpg

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/tosky/Oblivion2010-12-2123-38-07-51.jpg

I notice 1 think: an high glossiness valor make the sword less shiny . Modifying glossiness it's the unique method for lowering the shiny effect ?

[donnato]

Hey this is looking better and better. The glossiness and the hardness,maybe? In the material buttons,shaders tab,just above hardness, is spec.(specularity),just below is tralu(translucency), these may help you dial things in more.