sho-nuff
02-07-2007, 06:41 AM
(First and foremost i must say i am still learning so if i appear ignorant i apologise, but i simply dont know as much as i wish i did on the topic, which is what im about to get into now.)
I have not created this index but i thought i would propose the idea of having one, because i feel that in having a general guideline on the surface properties of materials we might all need to render at some point, be it a type of timber, some type of alloy, skin, specific foliage etc. It will help us all out in becoming better artists, which is why we are all here in the first place!....ah right?
I know some of you might be saying, "dude, why dont u get off ur ass and get some photo ref!!" And to them i say...'please consider'.
From my own experience i know how beneficial it is to have visual ref to help solve whatever artistic problem may arise. But i also know it is far better to have so much skill and "knowledgery" at hand that difficult problems in the first place do not arise!
Because in being a great artist, to have the ability to, for example - figure draw - internalised and ready to use when necessary, allows artists to create people and poses without limitation.
Which brings me back to my point.
I am hoping to have an internalised general knowledge of the surface properties of materials so that while i am painting (which i am just coming to grips with, hence this post) i can resolve rendering issues without referring to photos - which i would have to go find - which would take me out of my zen like painting state of mind - which would bring me to google images - which would bring me to the internet - which would take me away from painting and bring me into a world of justifying why im looking at other artists work when really im procrastinating on my own.
I've already done a bit of research and fortunately came across this wonderful pdf in the surface and texturing forum http://www.onona3d.com/pdf/texturing.pdf
This book touches on surface properties in its various layers for example;
- Colour Diifuse
- Specularity and Reflection
- Translucency and SSS
- Transparency and Refraction
- Incandescence
- Bump Mapping
Now im not an expert but after reading about each of these properties i feel that they could be used as a sufficient way to describe in general terms whatever material that is included in the index. Maybe this list of properties would need to be expanded further to include things like environment conditions (weather your scene is hot, cold, wet etc.) as well as lighting conditions because certain materials may reflect light differently in the day then they do in the night (or maybe not).
A scale of 0 - 10 might be attached to each property or perhaps some sort of description within context to the material being described.
Anyhow let me know what you guys think - how can it be improved, why its a mush concept and should not be implemented or maybe you know of something out there that is already doing this.
On a side not i have the book "color drawing" by Michael Doyle, a very good ref for learning to render materials of all sorts however its hard to use when trying to understand the rendered materials to the point that you can render them in all there variations, under any amount of conditions - hence this post.
On another side note i am also reading "Light for the Artist" by Seth Jacobs, a wonderful book that explains the theories of light so that once understood, an artist may create light as they see fit. This book is part of the inspiration for this post aswell i guess, eg. 'if they can do theory for light, why cant they do theory for what light falls upon?'
I have not created this index but i thought i would propose the idea of having one, because i feel that in having a general guideline on the surface properties of materials we might all need to render at some point, be it a type of timber, some type of alloy, skin, specific foliage etc. It will help us all out in becoming better artists, which is why we are all here in the first place!....ah right?
I know some of you might be saying, "dude, why dont u get off ur ass and get some photo ref!!" And to them i say...'please consider'.
From my own experience i know how beneficial it is to have visual ref to help solve whatever artistic problem may arise. But i also know it is far better to have so much skill and "knowledgery" at hand that difficult problems in the first place do not arise!
Because in being a great artist, to have the ability to, for example - figure draw - internalised and ready to use when necessary, allows artists to create people and poses without limitation.
Which brings me back to my point.
I am hoping to have an internalised general knowledge of the surface properties of materials so that while i am painting (which i am just coming to grips with, hence this post) i can resolve rendering issues without referring to photos - which i would have to go find - which would take me out of my zen like painting state of mind - which would bring me to google images - which would bring me to the internet - which would take me away from painting and bring me into a world of justifying why im looking at other artists work when really im procrastinating on my own.
I've already done a bit of research and fortunately came across this wonderful pdf in the surface and texturing forum http://www.onona3d.com/pdf/texturing.pdf
This book touches on surface properties in its various layers for example;
- Colour Diifuse
- Specularity and Reflection
- Translucency and SSS
- Transparency and Refraction
- Incandescence
- Bump Mapping
Now im not an expert but after reading about each of these properties i feel that they could be used as a sufficient way to describe in general terms whatever material that is included in the index. Maybe this list of properties would need to be expanded further to include things like environment conditions (weather your scene is hot, cold, wet etc.) as well as lighting conditions because certain materials may reflect light differently in the day then they do in the night (or maybe not).
A scale of 0 - 10 might be attached to each property or perhaps some sort of description within context to the material being described.
Anyhow let me know what you guys think - how can it be improved, why its a mush concept and should not be implemented or maybe you know of something out there that is already doing this.
On a side not i have the book "color drawing" by Michael Doyle, a very good ref for learning to render materials of all sorts however its hard to use when trying to understand the rendered materials to the point that you can render them in all there variations, under any amount of conditions - hence this post.
On another side note i am also reading "Light for the Artist" by Seth Jacobs, a wonderful book that explains the theories of light so that once understood, an artist may create light as they see fit. This book is part of the inspiration for this post aswell i guess, eg. 'if they can do theory for light, why cant they do theory for what light falls upon?'