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Here is an experiment with tri-blending of material layers using opacity weightmapping.

This is not a single color map, but a combination of three maps blended together using weightmaps. The weightmap feature of Maxwell Render allows these individual color maps (soil, rock, grass) to be place according to a greyscale image or opacity map.

The image below is just that, it is the result of using opacity maps to restrict and blend the image maps in a vertical nature for use as a ramp texture in some more advanced testing for larger ecosystem material explorations.

This image is the result after about 45 minutes. It uses 4 layers. One layer for each type of color map; one for soil plus normal map; one for rock plus normal map; and one for grass plus a specular map and a normal map. This material also uses three weightmaps one for each image set created in Photoshop.

Textures credit - Pavel Zoch www.3dsoftware.cz



Duo-Blend Soil Material


Textures credit - Pavel Zoch www.3dsoftware.cz

Hello Tyrone,

This is pretty impressive. I think I did something similar here:

http://www.maxwellrender.com/forum/view ... hp?t=18463

Your example demonstrates more precisely the power of weightmapping as a means to blend and manipulate materials.

I found that the trickiest part was setting up the gradients in photoshop such that the blended areas didn't seem as though they were creating 'bands' (whereas I wanted a graduated transition).

Base on your experiment is this also the case? Also how important, if at all, was the blend mode setting?

Luis

lsega77 wrote:Hello Tyrone,

This is pretty impressive. I think I did something similar here:

http://www.maxwellrender.com/forum/view ... hp?t=18463

Your example demonstrates more precisely the power of weightmapping as a means to blend and manipulate materials.

I found that the trickiest part was setting up the gradients in photoshop such that the blended areas didn't seem as though they were creating 'bands' (whereas I wanted a graduated transition).

Base on your experiment is this also the case? Also how important, if at all, was the blend mode setting?

Luis

Hello Luis,

So far in my tests, I have come up against the same thing. The weightmaps must be carefully created so that the blends can occur such that the maps work to prevent banding. I think another way to improve this is to use very large weightmaps so that gradient can be more smooth. Weightmaps on the order of 2400x2400 or even larger so that you can get good control for say blends of 3 or more materials.

With two materials, a weightmap of 1200x1200 works very well. It just may mean then that to blend materials well, you need something like 600 pixels of space for each material per weightmap.

In the tri-blend above, I used 1200x1200 pixels for each individual weightmaps. In the duo-blend, I used 1200x1200 pixels and it work very well. I bet if I had used something like 1800x1800 pixels for each individual weightmap the blend would be more smooth as in the duo-blend example.

I used normal for the blending mode, I did not find additive to be benefiticial with this kind of blend unless you are trying to blend a wood material with something else possibily.

I will check out your link.

Thanks Tyrone. Your information about gradient image size is insightful.

With my concrete to glass material I had to incorporate a 'mid-blend' material in order to achieve the smooth gradient using much smaller gradient images. The 'mid-blend' material needed to have the physical characteristics of the glass but the color of the concrete. Admittedly this made thing more complicated. However, I am going to try your technique with larger gradient maps out to see if it will simplify the material.

Many thanks,

Luis