Creation of Old, Dirty, Stained, Mossy Materials

[MrTom]

No worries mate.

It sounds FAR more complex than it actually is......unfortunately even more so when you write it down!!!!

I'm glad it's starting to slot together and make some sense to you......have you forgotten all about unwrapping yet? LOL.

Keep it simple, keep it sweet.

Regards.

[Bundie]

Got is

ok, so there is no mould in this image, but it works.

The grey is the Concrete Base material, the redish Brown is the "Mould" hehe, sort of, and I used a Balck and white horizontal image to represent my once again "Mould" mask.

but the concept works, which is what I was after.

I cant thank you enough MrTom

[MrTom]

I cant thank you enough MrTom.....

How about hitting the 'Thanks' button...bottom right?.....i'm kidding.


Thats the ticket!

You can see now why it's difficult to explain in simple terms, when ANY of the standard maps, (Tiles, smoke, stucco, noise even gradient ramp), can be used for a 'mask'....not only that but you can also make your own....so the possibilities are infinitly endless.

Now you've got the basics, the idea of adding a 'smoke' map to the 'tile' map should now mean something to you......either the 'tile' part of the map or the 'grout' part of the map can ALSO have a map applied to them.

The image (or map) that you have used as your 'mould' mask is no different....it depend on what 'type' of map it is, but usually the option to add a another map to just the 'black' bits AND one to just the 'white' bits means you can keep on adding maps till the cows come home. This makes for a complex material but gives you great control over it's appearance.

Something I've done in the past is to just spend some time going through each of the maps just to see what they do and what parameters can be changed within each one.......those with 'Seeds' are really good for anything random......the 'tile' one is good for a quick 'bump' on a floor or wall......added to a smoke map will mean the 'tiles' will appear to 'rise' and 'fall' into the ground....looking uneven.....the list is endless.

One thing to remember is that you can use the same map for lots of different things......your mould for instance may need to have a different 'reflection' value to the rest of the wall......this could make it look 'wetter' or 'drier' than the wall depending on the surface properties of the wall itself...but esentially the same map can be used. You may find the map has to be 'inverted' but Autodesk have thought of that and under the 'options' rollout of the material you will find an option to 'invert'. Some maps have an 'invert' radio button already next to the map slot....now you know why!

One other thing you can do, (to save a little time), is drag any map into an empty 'material slot'....you can then edit the map from here and whenever you need to use it just drag it into the slot.....if you choose 'instance' then whenever you change the parameters in the 'material slot' then the map will change wherever you have used it....which could be several different places....saves you having to remember exactly where you put a particular map to change it.

If you do get lost at any time you can always open the 'Material/Map Navigator'....the two verticle blue balls to the bottom right of the material slots....as in the image I posted above. By clicking any part of it in the navigator will open it in the editor....rather than going through step by step to find the map you need to change.

Anyway, enough rambling, I'm sure thats enough to keep you busy for at least a day or two...LOL....so good luck with it and glad you're finally on the road to Map Madness!

Regards.

[Bundie]

a well well deserved Thanks

Strange, I hit the Thanks Button and it dissapeared!!!
I dont think it worked

[MrTom]

Originally Posted by Bundie

Strange, I hit the Thanks Button and it dissapeared!!!

LOL..If only all our problems would go away that easily!

Glad it worked out for ya....and hopefully still does.

Regards.

[Bundie]

Ive been out of action for the past week as I was moving house.
But I just tried it again and it worked fine. My new problem is controlling the mask and been able to create a mask in Photoshop to control the Molds location. Yet another can of worms
Gonna hit my brother up for some assistance on the PS side of things. Ill keep you posted on my progress

[MrTom]

Originally Posted by Bundie

My new problem is controlling the mask and been able to create a mask in Photoshop to control the Molds location.......

Unfortunately the 'artistic' side of that is something nobody can help you with....the 'technical' side on the other hand, (or how to do something), is a possibility though.....as with Max there are a million and one ways to do everything.

Good luck, looking forward to seeing some final results.

Regards.

[Bundie]

Finally got a chance to put all this knowledge into action........

so far I am very satidfied with the outcome. I want to adjust the blend balance, the lighting and do more modelling, but the material control that i was after are finally coming into affect.

Also, to anyone getting into materials and texturing, the BLEND shader if fantastic. doesnt take to long to learn and the resaults are worth the time.

Mr Tom, your a wealth of knowledge, thankyou so much for your help

hope you like this image and C&C are more than welcome

[Bundie]

somehow the image didnt go through, here it is

[Bundie]

darn, ill try again