"Wet" surface layer

[kevnar]

Can TG2 make a surface layer that's transparent and yet shiny? I want to give the rocks around the shoreline a "wet" look, as though waves have been lapping at them. So basically, everything above height X (0.25m above the lake level) should be a slightly darker colour than the underlying surface and should be shiny. Can this be done? Has it been done already? It would be really helpful.

Also, I've seen people make the fake stones and rock in general look really jagged, bumpy, and natural looking.  How is this done? Can someone point me to a tutorial on it?

Thanks in advance.

[Goms]

You can use a reflective shader in combination with another layer that darkens the surface where its wet.

[Hetzen]

For damp effects, use a surface shader with a reflective shader connected to the child input, make the colour in the surface shader black (or there abouts) and adjust the coverage to around 0.5 (this is like layer opacity in photoshop) and turn off fractal breakup. Then you can set the altitude you want the effect to work at. That's how I would do it. Maybe there's a better way?

[Tangled-Universe]

For damp effects, use a surface shader with a reflective shader connected to the child input, make the colour in the surface shader black (or there abouts) and adjust the coverage to around 0.5 (this is like layer opacity in photoshop) and turn off fractal breakup. Then you can set the altitude you want the effect to work at. That's how I would do it. Maybe there's a better way?

That would be my first shot too. Though I would connect the dark surface shader to a reflective shader and feed thàt as childlayer into a distributionshader. Set the coverage of the dark surface shader to your desired level. This way you will keep the reflective shader "100%" instead of lowering it along with the coverage.
Don't forget to connect these shaders specifically to the fake stones self.

Martin

[FrankB]

if it's for a still, it's probably much easier (faster) to darken the shoreline slightly in post, yet use a reflective shader with just the speculars enabled in the render.

Frank

[Tangled-Universe]

if it's for a still, it's probably much easier (faster) to darken the shoreline slightly in post, yet use a reflective shader with just the speculars enabled in the render.

Frank

You cheater! But Frank's right, it would probably the easiest en fastest way to do it.

Martin

[FrankB]

I thought "cheating" involves a sinister intention. However, I usually feel completely innocent

[darthvader]

IMO cheating is completely ok as long as it decreases render time 

[rcallicotte]

@darthvader - ...and looks cool.