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Skyscraper Glass

Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:28 pm
by misterasset
As everyone can probably tell from my increased amount of posts I'm really getting into a project now.

I need to know how to make skyscraper glass. And by that I mean glass from one side that looks almost opaque and from the other side it's clear see through. Almost like a two-way mirror. (I remember a thread about that a long time ago, don't know if it every go solved)

Does anybody know how to go about this?

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 3:53 pm
by misterasset
Any ideas?

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:05 pm
by Maximus3D
At the moment no, sorry. :( ..but isn't that fresnel thingy's seen in such glass, that gives the look of a mirror from certain angles.. did you try to mess with AGS to get this effect ?

/ Max

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:27 pm
by Frances
Unless the scene will depict the effects from both sides of the glass, I would concentrate on simulating the effect from either one side or the other.

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:39 pm
by aitraaz
Frances wrote:Unless the scene will depict the effects from both sides of the glass, I would concentrate on simulating the effect from either one side or the other.
Agree. I mean, this kind of glass is very thick, almost a mirror on the outside and transparent from the inside mainly for thermal reasons. I would use two different mxm's one for each side of the glass that you're looking towards/through...

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 5:55 pm
by JDHill
Keep in mind also that the backlighting situation greatly affects glass reflections. Here's an old video showing AGS under different lighting conditions. I haven't tried Aitraaz' suggestion, but if you use a dielectric material that way, you'll need to make sure that the glass pane is one box-mesh, and apply the 2nd material using triangle-selection in Studio.

Hope it helps. :)

~JD

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 6:06 pm
by misterasset
Okay, that gives me a few options to think about. Yeah, I mean I could fake it but I'd rather see if there's a way to actually do it.

I'll give it a few tests with the different ideas and post the results.

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 7:22 pm
by Mihai
But if you need two images, one from the outside, and one from the inside, couldn't you just use a plastic type material for the outside shot, and then change it to an ags for the interior one?

Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:19 pm
by Mattia Sullini
Try this: http://science.howstuffworks.com/question421.htm or this: http://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae293.cfm
For what i have understood, it's as if the reflected light "covers" or "burns" the transmitted one. I guess this is because our brain tends to build an image with a meaning: since the merging of what is reflected and what lies inside has no significance (as a whole image), our brain decides to ignore what is considered the minor stimulation.
All these words to suggest the mxm can be single, it only depends from the amount of light.
(i am beginning to think i am right considering how those skyscrapers behave at night, when the interiors become dominant and the reflected image is lost)