Reflective car paint materials in UVW Unwrap Texture?

[ReyOne]

I actually got a similar problem. I got my Carpaint and wan't now to add a Vinyl, Image.
I found this Tutorial but it's not realy helping that much.
http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials/v8_reeves/reeves04.php
I rendered the Texture to Template and oppened it in Photoshop. There I added my vinyl on the unwarp mapping of my Carpice.
and saved it but what do i'v to do now?
Hirarchy is
Unwarmp UVW
Editable Poly

[Piflik]

Use either a Composite Material, or a Composite Map (Material for Vinyl above the Car Paint (since you want different Specular and Reflection then), Map for a painted design (since the Specular and Reflection would be identical)) and use your Painted design with an Alpha as a Bitmap.

Instead of the Composite Map/Material you can also use a Blend Material or Mix Map, but in that case you'd have to save the Alpha of your Design as a separate b/w image and use this in the Mask Slot.

(all above is for Max ;))

[ReyOne]

but the guy in that tutorial made it with the uvw template

[Piflik]

You can of course use only one image and do everything in PS, but I find it easier to tweak Materials in Max. Instead of painting a texture for every channel (Color, Specular, Bump...), I'd create Masks for the separate layers (one for the vinyl decals, one for dirt) and then combine them in a complex Shadertree in Max (Composite Material; carpaint as base, vinyl as second layer, dirt as third layer). The best thing is that, if I want to change the color of the paint or the vinyl, I can do it very fast right inside Max, do a testrender and tweak the Materials. Surely I'd have to create some textures in PS (scratches for the carpaint, wetmap, Bump/Color for the Dirt), but these would be way smaller than when I wanted to create a complete Texture for the whole car, since most of them could be tileable. The rest can be done with Procedurals.

[ReyOne]

i want to do it that way because the vinyl for example if it got transperent backgroung max makes it white ;(

[Piflik]

Then I don't understand, where the problem is. If you want to use the big texture you created, then do so. Or are you asking how to apply a texture to a model? In this case I'd have to say RTFM!

And if you set up your shader correctly, it won't turn out white. If you use a Composite Material, you'll need a B/W Mask in the Opacity Channel, since the Bitmap Alpha just works in the specific channel, where you use it, e.g. if you put an image with Alpha Channel into the Diffuse Slot, the areas where the Alpha is transparent will have the color that you assigned to the Diffuse Color. If you put the same Bitmap into the Opacity Slot and set the Mono Channel Output to Alpha, you will see the Base Material (if it still turns out white, then your image doesn't have an Alpha Channel).

[sundialsvc4]

Do it like the automobile people do: with layers of paint and other coatings.

Start with your basic car and UVMap the decals onto it but in a separate layer.

Now, on top of all that, a specularity layer, rather shiny. A separate layer.

Now, on top of that, "get dirty with it." But not just in the sense of dirt. Also spray-paint differences in specularity. All in separate layers.

If the guy's gonna "get it dirty" and then "wash the car," you've got a separate layer of the extra-dirt which you just turn on and turn off.

When you're done, you've got several distinct channels of visual information being combined by a render network, or "noodle." And you have fairly-infinite creative control. First you lay out the individual effects by themselves; then you blend them together (non-destructively...) by tweaking the knobs. It's like a "mix-down" in audio work. Exactly like a "mix-down."

Ditto in tools like Photoshop.

This technique applies to all modern-day tools. Compositing, texturing, materials, even physics and animations are all, in their own way, algorithmically driven and non-destructive.

"This is a digital computer. Use it well." :bounce: Yeah, it's quite a mental gear-shift at first... no pun intended ... but hugely liberating.

[glenjobi]

Hey guys,

Found these post REALLY helpful, thanks heaps, really appreciate the valuble support!!

Regards

Glen

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