Rendering Question - Highlights and Reflections
- I've been using IRender for sometime but have never been able to figure out Highlights and reflection settings.
- I've started a ring model and would like to render a shiny metallic gold surface.
One of the best things that you can do to improve a rendering is to focus on the details such as highlights and reflections. It’s the details that can increase realism of a rendering and one detail that many users over look is adding reflection to all the materials in a model that need it. Not only that, but you must also apply the correct kind and the correct intensity of a reflection to a material.
Users normally apply reflections to the noticeable objects in a rendered scene such as a mirror but often forget about the small objects like a table top, or a door knob or other accessories. Spending time on these details can make the difference between a boring, flat image and an engaging, realistic one.
The reflections help to add realism to this model. |
This is boring and flat without reflections. |
- The first secret of reflections is that you have to have something to reflect. You need something to reflect. With our Dynamic lighting option, we would place your ring in a forest with light filtering through the trees. (highlights and reflections only work if there is something to reflect.)
- Second, you need to apply some reflection to the materials. Right click on the material in the model, and select "IRender-Edit or Create material"
- Then render the model for 20 passes or so.
- You can make changes depending on what effect you are looking for.
Contents
Reflection examples
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Here is a ring from the 3D Warehouse, I set it as reflective, using default settings, and rendered it.
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Because it appeared somewhat dark, I increased the overall brightness of the rendering by one click, (from 50 to 60)
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Then I used the IRender nXt texture paintbrush icon to place a gold-satin texture on the surface and rendered it again (increasing brightness to 60)
Reflection Presets
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For many standard materials, you can use one of the Material Presets on the left of the Material dialog:
- Matte - no reflection, transparency or special properties
- Thin or Thick Glass - 90% transparent.
- Thin should be used for glass created with a single face.
- Thick should be used for glass with two faces - one for each side.
- Plastic - low transparency, and somewhat blurry
- Reflective - medium reflection
- Metal - highly reflective, with Metallic highlights.
- Mirror - 100% reflective
- Shade - creates a Translucent lamp shade
- Glow - creates a material which glows like a light
Reflective Preset
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Notice that reflections are just a little out of focus.
Note: The wood is also the Reflective Default but with Intensity changed to 0.30
Metal Preset
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Notice that reflections are very sharp.
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Glossy make reflections very blurred.
See also:
Metallic Reflection
Plastic Preset
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Notice that reflections blurry - but sharped than the Glossy switch.
All 4 side-by-side
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Reflections Tab
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Base Color - set the color or materials without a texture.
Reflection and Highlight' The two sliders combine to define the amount of reflection and the sharpness of reflection.
Metallic - highlight are reflected in the color of the reflective material.
- (Otherwise highlights are reflected in white)
- See: Metallic Reflection
Glossy - highlights are other reflections are blurry.
- See: * Glossy Reflection
No Light Source Reflections - does not show reflections of lights.
Intensity of the reflection. 1.000 is fully reflective.
Sharpness - values less than 1.000 create blurry reflections
See also