Reflection Masking - Coverage or Basic

Started by WAS, November 03, 2018, 05:00:29 AM

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WAS

Since the reflection shader doesn't have a reflectivity/mask input, when you use reflections do you switch to normal masking, or as coverage by default? Has anyone tested the difference?

Rendering a scene using a nice detailed mask for reflections and just realized this setting and never thought about it.

Dune

Actually I've never ever used mask not by coverage, don't even know the difference.

Tangled-Universe

Wouldn't it make more sense to mask 'by normal'?
You are probably the first here who uses the definition 'by normal'.
One could easily interpret that as slope, since whenever a normal is not facing straight up it's on a slope.
Anyway...it really depends on what you want to achieve..do you want to mask for 'presence', just to define where there's no reflectivity and where there is?
Or do you want to alter the way reflections are being calculated? Since reflections are all about normals vs camera.

WAS

#3
Quote from: Tangled-Universe on November 03, 2018, 09:05:48 AM
Wouldn't it make more sense to mask 'by normal'?
You are probably the first here who uses the definition 'by normal'.
One could easily interpret that as slope, since whenever a normal is not facing straight up it's on a slope.
Anyway...it really depends on what you want to achieve..do you want to mask for 'presence', just to define where there's no reflectivity and where there is?
Or do you want to alter the way reflections are being calculated? Since reflections are all about normals vs camera.

That's what I'm trying to figure out. Not really a matter of just saying "Hey calculations sound nice"

What actually provides the best effect with the reflection shader? I guess I'll my a project file and demonstrate the two.

I spend a lot of time trying to formulate reflections based on real world visual properties. For example the brass shaders. I tested reflections for about 3 days with probably 200 brass photos I've now accumulated.

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So it seems there is little noticeable difference, at least with this masking setup. The only thing that seems to be evident is a slightly bright right side (Coverage). Or maybe it's less definition?