Optimizing XFrog trees - the project continues

[N-drju]

I am in the course of optimizing many of my XFrog trees, to apply reflectivity to leaves and improve their translucency characteristics. I have some doubts and concerns about the reflectivity though.

I must say that the changes made to default shader starting version 4.5.56 have made the idea of reflectivity a little confusing. Metalness... Hmm. Obviously the leaves are not metal but they are reflective... Which options of the default shader to choose from?

I am tempted to simply attach a classic reflective shader to the default shader. I have to use the latter to keep the images after all... But my question is - if you were on my place, would you continue to use a default shader's reflectivity features? Or just drop them and add leaf reflectivity through an independent reflective shader? If the latter - then how?

[N-drju]

I just made a test of two texturing methods. One, using the default shader and fresnel reflectivity with (obviously) no metalness. The other, using image map shader, default UVs and an extra reflectivity shader for glossy leaves.

I think the default shader is definitely more successful:

   

However, there are no "highlight intensity" nor "caustic intensity" sliders in the default shader... Why is that?

[Dune]

I don't know exactly how the mechanics behind reflectivity work, but I keep using the default shader. Set reflection to 0.4 or so, roughness down to 0.2, no metalness indeed, and set it to GGX (older objects still need changing that). Sometimes using a PF for some additional variation. If using an image map for reflectivity or roughness I set both at 1.
Highlight intensity has to do with roughness I think, and caustic stuff only for water/transparency (?), but it's getting complicated, I admit. I have to read up on this, actually.

[mhaze]

Me too...