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Hi All,

A WIP of some cylinder parts for a steam engine i'm modeling. I try to simulate old used steel - a kind of yellowish / oily color. Does anyone have any suggestions ? All help highly appreciated. Thanks!

Gunnar

Great render! I would suggest mapping of course. You need both reflectance and roughness mapping to achieve this. Reflectance map to give the color and a roughness map to display this dirt on non(less)-reflective parts. Mostly on inconvex corners and along edges... And your model needs some more mesh sub-divisions, especially around holes.

Thanks Tom,

I was afraid someone should mention mapping, I'll have to start reading the manual Well, it's time to start digging. I too saw the mesh needed more polys, but I am working in SolidWorks and when I try to get more detail, I reach the max limit of polygons ( I think) and it won't generate a mxs file. ( I've posted support with this one)

If you don't want to start mapping that (looks like it will be extremely boring to get some accurate mapping on all those parts), you can try mixing two or even three bsdf's, one which is the "cleaner" steel so needs a bit less roughness, and another with more roughness to simulate dull oxidized steel. Then you can change the weight to see what looks good. This way you get a little sharper but subtle reflections and the dull look.

Mihai wrote:If you don't want to start mapping that (looks like it will be extremely boring to get some accurate mapping on all those parts)

Extremely boring? Well, in Cinema it would be an easy task:

Take a dirt shader and bake it and you're mostly done. Well, unwrap the
UVs first in Maxon's Bodypaint

Kabe

I'd like to see that unwrap.....with geometry like this you can just place on or two cuts and hope for the unwrap tool to do the rest...you would have to do it piece by piece.

Mihai wrote:I'd like to see that unwrap.....with geometry like this you can just place on or two cuts and hope for the unwrap tool to do the rest...you would have to do it piece by piece.

You really should have a look at Bodypaint. You won't get a single closed
piece anyway, but to unwrap this into a clean UV-Map you push a single
button even for the most convoluted geometry and make yourself a cup of
tea. That's it.

It's btw. the most helpful thing when you have black patches in your
M~R picts exported from Cinema

Kabe

Aah, ok I know what you mean now. XSI has the same thing but I forgot what it's called. Only trouble is you can't use an image editor to do the texturing with those kinds of UV's, or apply bitmap textures. I saw the projection painting in Bodypaint but it looks cumbersome to limit a certain picture to a certain area of polys. For example I might want to use a rough scratched texture on just some borders of this model, like the pieces have been cut away from a sheet of metal.

Please don't post such detailed renders here, that is my job

Fanatastic model Gunnar and crisp render

Nice model and render Gunnar - unfortunately mapping is the way to go (well that and and getting permission to post detailed renders from Nico)

-Greg

Greg Montague wrote:Nice model and render Gunnar - unfortunately mapping is the way to go (well that and and getting permission to post detailed renders from Nico)

-Greg

I really love this model, just can't stop watching

[edit] just a bit more poly's [\edit]

I agree it's a well done model, good work Gunnar

/ Max

Thanks for all nice comments ! I agree that it needs more poly's, but I think there is a limit in the Solidworks plugin. This is the best I can do at the moment ( due to the detail also on the inside...) and with your permission Nico...



And an early WIP of the whole project... ( I must say that I am a little concerned about rivets... there are a lot of them...)

hehe

it's a wonderful model Gunnar, will it be build or does it have another purpose

Well, it is actually one of my privat projects. I am slightly interested in steam loco's ( some call it lunacy though ) I've taken photos of the original drawings from 1903, and builds this locomotive up in 3D piece by piece up to a (nearly) 100% accuracy. It is actually possible to build a new one from the model. For my own interest in the subject, this model will be the basis for a book about steam engine mechanics and parts, as well as an in depht study of the Norwegian Type 18 locomotive. ( one of the most used and produced types in Norway, and one of the longest working history - from 1900-1969. One is still in use today on a museum railway.) When finnished, it will be presented to the Norwegian railway museum as a way of taking care of our railway history and possibly also be an interactive part of the exhibition in form of presentations, animations etc. etc.

I think this is a good way of having fun - it is fun modeling, VERY renderfriendly model and it can actually have a good purpose. ( but it doesn't put any food on the table )