How can I make a stainless steel

[sundialsvc4]

Go grab an object that is made of stainless steel.

Now... "look at the light."

Not the object. The light.

Observe how the colors play across the surface. Observe its specularity. Observe how reflective it is. Move it around and move around it. Write down a list of what you see. Yes, put it on paper. With a pencil.

You will probably notice that there are several different visual effects at play. There are different, and distinct, characteristics which ... as you begin to notice ... are fairly independent of one another. As the object moves, or as light sources move or the camera moves or what-have-you, what your eyes are seeing is the combined effect of several different elements ... which you can, with practice, pick-apart and identify. They do not all have the same effect at the same instant, which is part of the reason why the texture does not look "painted on."

The best way to "really get a texture right" is to think in terms of multiple textures, blended together ... in simple ways or in complicated ones. No single effect carries the entire burden. But the combination says to the viewer's eyes, at least within the technical requirements of this show or picture ... "stainless steel."

The computer will do the blending for you, by means of a materials/texture node-network of some kind (depending on your software).

[leigh]

Use an anisotropic shader with quite a lot of reflectivity.

[soulburn3d]

What software are you using?

- Neil

[nousername]

Go grab an object that is made of stainless steel.

Now... "look at the light."

Not the object. The light.

Observe how the colors play across the surface. Observe its specularity. Observe how reflective it is. Move it around and move around it. Write down a list of what you see. Yes, put it on paper. With a pencil.

You will probably notice that there are several different visual effects at play. There are different, and distinct, characteristics which ... as you begin to notice ... are fairly independent of one another. As the object moves, or as light sources move or the camera moves or what-have-you, what your eyes are seeing is the combined effect of several different elements ... which you can, with practice, pick-apart and identify. They do not all have the same effect at the same instant, which is part of the reason why the texture does not look "painted on."

The best way to "really get a texture right" is to think in terms of multiple textures, blended together ... in simple ways or in complicated ones. No single effect carries the entire burden. But the combination says to the viewer's eyes, at least within the technical requirements of this show or picture ... "stainless steel."

The computer will do the blending for you, by means of a materials/texture node-network of some kind (depending on your software).

I use Maya 2008

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