[brodie_geers]

I'm working on a material for an ornate mirror frame that seems like it should be simple but I just can't seem to get it right.

The look I'm going for is basically just like the renders below from Pure Render studios.





Any advice on this?

Here are some of my previous tries...











-Brodie

[itsallgoode9]

looks like you're getting there. you need to have a texture on your material to create the darkening in the edges. It looks like right now you are just doing everything through the material settings itself and no maps.

[Bubbaloo]

looks like you're getting there. you need to have a texture on your material to create the darkening in the edges. It looks like right now you are just doing everything through the material settings itself and no maps.

I agree. Not sure, but an AO map might help to create that "stained in the crevices" texture effect.

[brodie_geers]

I've gone through a lot of iterations of maps actually. I ran a couple passes with mental ray to create an ambient occlusion map to help darken the cracks as well as create some masks for the back portion and the ornamental overlay portion.

Here are a few of the latest maps I've been trying...

[Maximus3D]

Your maps looks useful as they are, it's probably failing in the way you layered them and blended them within your material. Keep on experimenting and you will eventually nail it.
Btw, that's one fine looking frame you modeled, if you modeled that is.

/ Max

[brodie_geers]

Maximus,

'fraid I can't claim it. Glad you brought it up though, as I should have mentioned it earlier. The frame is from http://archive3d.net/?category=0&page=4033

Horrible search engine, but there are some great free models there.

-Brodie

[Maximus3D]

That's alright it's still a nice model even if you haven't built it yourself. I've seen that site before but forgot about it, thanks for reminding it. It has some real nice stuff on it.

/ Max

[zdeno]

don't try to bend a spoon it's impossible. instead try to realize the truth. what truth ? there is no spoon.

... You'd be surprised -or shocked - of how much in many of my images is actually altered or even completely exchanged later in photoshop or other softwares. The drawer image of mine has literally no surface that hasn't been manipulated in photoshop. The list goes from changes in hue/ saturation to complete retexturing of some faces. Metalscratches, rust, dents, dirt etc. can also be easily added in photshop. It took me quite a while to let loose of the concept of doing everything in 3D when it could be done much faster and with much more control in photoshop. ...

so ... just use a little clone stamp, dodge smudge levels etc.

[brodie_geers]

Welp, that shatters all my hopes and dreams. I'm going to start a new company called PurerRender



-Brodie

[zdeno]

Welp, that shatters all my hopes and dreams.

Yep . sad but true. I was in this place too.

but it is common in CG world. many cg artists said this, after hours and days of strugling and fighting with render engines they realized photoshop is the cure.

I'm going to start a new company called PurerRender

It looks like bad idea rather start moreBeautifulThanPurerender. When it is for money not for fun in archviz.it have to be more pretty than fotoreal.

[Bubbaloo]

The problem with doing heavy photoshopping to renders, is when a client comes back and says, now we want an animation.

[brodie_geers]

Ya, the other thing is that I'm mostly just doing this as a side project to help improve my v2 material creation so...

The frustrating thing is that it just doesn't seem like it should be a difficult material. I won the material competition awhile back by creating a glass tail light material that could be used as a brake light or a reverse light and be used with the emitter on or off. But I can't create a gold painted wood material? FAIL

-Brodie

[Maximus3D]

Now i remember, you won that one. Then you should know what you're doing with the MXM editor. this painted goldframe should be no problem for you so get to work now and show us what you can do, please. Btw, did you win that camera in the competition ? i can't remember if that's the first prize or if it was something else. If so, how is it ?

/ Max

[brodie_geers]

Ya, it's funny (read: woefully frustrating) how sometimes the simplest things can end up giving you the most grief.

Good memory, it was the camera. I did get it and it's actually quite amazing. My previous camera had just pretty much died. This one has a screen on the front for taking self portraits (which my wife and I do a lot ), the startup and wait between pics is amazingly fast, and the whole back camera is a touchscreen with haptics, I think it's called where there's a little vibration when you click a button to make it feel more like you've actually clicked something. I'm loving it.

The only downside, actually was that since it was coming from over seas (I live in the U.S.) it came with every crazy Euro plug you can imagine to charge it up, but no love for us in the states! Haha, so I just charge it up via the USB, no big woop.

-Brodie