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Autodesk Multimedia Forum · Autodesk 3D Studio

#Reflections from Metals

14 messages in this thread

#181946From: Don NellJul 25, 1995 9:38 AM

To All, How can I get those nice reflections from the flat faces of metals. When I do flying logos and such, everything looks great (the curved areas) except for the front which just seems kinda dull and monotone. I know it can be done because I've seen it many times on the 3D Studio demo tapes. Thanks Don

#182013From: ALAN IGLESIASJul 25, 1995 3:14 PM

There are a few ways to go about this Don, but perhaps the quickest and easiest is to take the RefMap you are using into a paint program and *increase* it's level of detail quite a bit. What I mean by that is to "busy" it up as much as possible by tiling, cutting, pasting, etc. Now apply that map to just the flat faces of your logo. This should bring some of the detail into the flat faces you are looking for. Granite.cel is a map I often use as the basis for this kind of thing. Another good trick to increase the "spin" on your RefMapping is to link the *entire scene* to a dummy and rotate the dummy any time you want increased movement in the RefMap. Have fun! -Alan

#182053From: Don NellJul 25, 1995 6:42 PM

Alan, It worked !!! I tried your suggestion and used GRANITE.CEL for a RefMap instead of GOLD.GIF and couldn't beleive my eyes. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it's amazing how a .CEL file which essentially looks like a bunch of static could give me the smooth metalic reflections I was looking for, when used as a RefMap. This definately qualifies as the 3D Studio tip of the week. Would you go into a little more detail regarding your second idea. I haven't tried it yet, but if I link the entire scene (lights, cameras, objects) to a dummy object and rotate the dummy, how will this change the way the object reflects and/or appears? Thanks Don

#182077From: Ralph F. FrantzJul 25, 1995 8:56 PM

Don, >> but if I link the entire scene (lights, cameras, objects) to a >> dummy object and rotate the dummy, how will this change the way the object >> reflects and/or appears? When Alan was helping you out with reflections he was alluding to the way 3DS does Spherical Reflection Maps. The image used for this reflection map is applied to the object as if the image were wrapped in a sphere around your whole scene. The angle of the objects faces to this imaginary sphere will determine what part of the object recieves which part of the ref map. Understanding that will show you why the objects curved faces recieve more of the ref map. So… busy up the ref map for the flat faces that wouldn't normally recieve enough of the old ref map. Now imagine if everything in the scene were spinning but this ref map. Only the reflection will appear to move! Great techniques, have fun with it. Ralph

#182100From: Don NellJul 25, 1995 11:17 PM

Ralph, O.k., now I get it. The problem was that I always visualized maps as being absolutely bound to the objects they were applied to. If you move the object, you move the map. Until now, I never imagined RefMaps as being wrapped around a scene in a sphere and leaving the object free to move within. Thanks for the explanation. Don

#182166From: Ralph F. FrantzJul 26, 1995 9:50 AM

>> Thanks for the explanation. No problem, but thank Alan… his insight into better 3DS reflections is the kind of stuff you can't get from the manual. Ralph

#182135From: ALAN IGLESIASJul 26, 1995 3:23 AM

I'm glad it worked for you, Don. RalphF's explanation says it all (thanks, Ralph!…) -Alan

#182167From: Ralph F. FrantzJul 26, 1995 9:50 AM

>> RalphF's explanation says it all I wouldn't go that far <g> …and PMFJI! Ralph

#182191From: ALAN IGLESIASJul 26, 1995 10:56 AM

Hey, JI anytime!<g> -Alan

#182529From: David GouldJul 27, 1995 7:26 PM

<<Granite.cel is a map I often use as the basis for this kind of thing.>> I've said it before and I'll say it again. This image HAS to be renamed ALAN.CEL. <g> Now getting back to what I'm really butting in for. I can get the "cell" animation on Betacam SP (NTSC). Will that be fine for the video night? DaviD "reflecting granite" GouID

#182555From: ALAN IGLESIASJul 27, 1995 11:33 PM

>>…ALAN.CEL…<< <g> You crack me up, David! Uh, we probably won't have a BetaSP deck at the party, but it's a good first step as it can be easily duped to VHS. If you cannot find anyone to do it, I may know someone who can do it for you. Lemme know… -Alan

#182591From: David RhotenJul 28, 1995 10:08 AM

Greg could probably handle it at his open house, eh? Dave

#182602From: ALAN IGLESIASJul 28, 1995 10:43 AM

Uh-huh… -Alan

#182635From: Jul 28, 1995 2:20 PM

Dave: >> Greg could probably handle it at his open house, eh? Simple! But that would be Monday, and I think he wants it for Sunday night. Get it to me beforehand, though, and I could dub it and bring it to the party. Greg Pyros