If I have a nice texture of a rock, can I use that and texture the surface of a made up terrain in TG3? I searched the forum but got nothing really useful for my greeny level. Can someone help with this? Or with a link?
Quote from: archonforest on October 19, 2013, 03:33:49 AM
If I have a nice texture of a rock, can I use that and texture the surface of a made up terrain in TG3? I searched the forum but got nothing really useful for my greeny level. Can someone help with this? Or with a link?
Well if it tiles nicely you can apply any image to the surface using an Image Map shade in a Surface layer. For the ground use Plan Y in Projection type and if you have used image maps in any other app you'll get it from there. If not just post more questions.
Thx for the idea. I will see if I can manage it like this :)
If you attach a camera, you can point the camera any direction towards the rock you want to texture. Set it to repeat if you want to cover more area, mask by distance shader if you don't want it extended towards the horizon.
So I applied the Image map shade but not really seeing the difference in the render. I changed the size of the tile up and down but no significant change. Tried different projection types but nothing really happened. Can u give some further instructions pls?
Quote from: archonforest on October 20, 2013, 05:36:44 AM
So I applied the Image map shade but not really seeing the difference in the render. I changed the size of the tile up and down but no significant change. Tried different projection types but nothing really happened. Can u give some further instructions pls?
Upload the .tgd and I'll have a look for you...no need to include your image as I can sub in one of my own. It's hard to say what's what without going into the .tgd in a situation like this.
This is the idea, quickly done. Hope this helps.
Here is the .tgd to chk. Thx for the help bobby.
Thx Dune for the screenshot. I saved it for reference. My set up is almost like yours...but still not doing the trick....I will see what changes will bobby input and see it after again...
Hi archonforest.
You see nothing because your base colors override your projected texture.
Adding your image map shader behind your base color/power fractal shader would be one solution (like Dune did his example).
Or disable all colors from that base color shader, then your mapped image will work again as last shader which gives colors to your surface in your node-chain.
Cheers, Alex
It works now!
Thx guys for the help.
Now I m gonna texture the shit out of....everything.... :D
Okay here is my 1st textured rocky mountain piece :D
C and C are welcome.
You have to take care that the rock texture corresponds more or less with the displacement in TG. And/or use the displacement from the texture file as additional displacement. Also, mask the texture by a power fractal (e.g.), and use a second different texture inversely masked to get rid of repetitiveness. Or warp your texture... or etcetera...
Thx. I can see the repetitiveness easily and I will try your suggestions. On the displacement I have a question. Somehow I cannot really see that problem very well on the picture. I can see some parts where it might be a problem but not that much. Is the displacement really bad? Can u maybe put an arrow that is pointing out the worst displacement so I can see what to watch for?
I just mean that if you have a texture of a specific type of rock, the displacement should echo that. Slate won't be very bubbly, so to speak. But for an average scene I wouldn't take that too seriously, only if it's really necessary to produce rock that geologists will find believable.
Dune just told you what I was going to post. I make extensive use of the Distribution shader for controlling where the rock appears and the Add>Child shader as well for removing repetitiveness in image maps.
Quote from: Dune on October 21, 2013, 10:19:19 AM
I just mean that if you have a texture of a specific type of rock, the displacement should echo that. Slate won't be very bubbly, so to speak. But for an average scene I wouldn't take that too seriously, only if it's really necessary to produce rock that geologists will find believable.
There is a tab in colour where you can get displacement from the colour image which I also use a bit but more often I take the colour image in to a 2D image processor of your choice(I use Photoshop) and make it a greyscale image and adjust the contrast till I see the high points quite white and then I blur the image to prevent excess spikeyness and use that In the actual Displacement tab with the exact same coords. as the image map and slowly add displacement till I like it.
dune: yes i understand what u saying about match the texture to the surface I have. I realized that the texture I used not really fitting to the shape I made in TG. The texture itself is a photo of a more on less flat rock/mountain piece and the TG surface I have actually a more rocky one....
bobby: thx a lot for sharing your technique. I will try to use it....(it is a bit above of my full understanding at this point of time as I am not that advanced yet)
Quote from: archonforest on October 21, 2013, 05:25:28 PM
dune: yes i understand what u saying about match the texture to the surface I have. I realized that the texture I used not really fitting to the shape I made in TG. The texture itself is a photo of a more on less flat rock/mountain piece and the TG surface I have actually a more rocky one....
bobby: thx a lot for sharing your technique. I will try to use it....(it is a bit above of my full understanding at this point of time as I am not that advanced yet)
If you'd like a visual tutorial load up all the images and the .tgd in a zip file and post it here if it's a legal size or sendspace or a site lie that if it's too large and I'll take a stab at showing by doing.
Here is my 2nd try on texturing. I believe it is better than the 1st one..
A tutorial would be awesome...I have a dirty road patch picture and I tried to use that as a texture to have a road on the middle of the picture but somehow I am getting only a stretched ugly looking path ???
If I upload that can you do a tut on that? Or your technique that was described before mainly for rocks/mountains?
Yes, this is nice, but I think a lot from this render can be done procedurally, just with a bunch of power fractals (colors and some displacement). If you have a picture of a dirt road, it should probably be projected from the top (Y), and repeated into one direction (if it's a tile). maybe warped. But again; that can be done procedurally as well.
Thx Dune...reason I went to the direction of texturing as I got no clue how to do it in procedural...I failed so many times on this that I feel like I walking in the thickest mud there could be...I even put down the program since a while....
You shouldn't give up that easy. As soon as I have some time, I'll fix a line of nodes for some rock texturing... just for the idea.