Realistic Stair help.

[HawkPoint3D]

I am trying to apply a Flagstone pattern to most of the faces on this mesh. It will be in the foreground, so it can't be just textured with a bump. Right now it is low poly since that is the way I normally model. I was thinking of taking it into ZBrush, But I am not familiar enough with that app to know the workflow.

Help please!

Dave

[erickdt]

Couldn't you just use displacement to achieve this?

 

E

[HawkPoint3D]

Probably need to start messing with normal maps then to get what I want. I might examine doing it procedurally ie with applying modifiers with noise. I have to get more polys in this for sure to get the kind of detail I am after.

Edited June 24, 2010 by HawkPoint3D
more info added

[erickdt]

Ta-da...

 

UVW map, sub divide, standard displacement mod. A little messing around in PS with an AO pass.

 

E

[HawkPoint3D]

Wanna take a look at the mesh I have? I don't think once you see it...it's quite that simple.

BTW, That looks really good!

Edited June 24, 2010 by HawkPoint3D

[abmitalia]

Ta-da...

 

UVW map, sub divide, standard displacement mod. A little messing around in PS with an AO pass.

 

E

 

Nice example Erick.

 

The principle does stand there Dave , its up to you I guess to make it fit to one of the most complicated meshes posted here. ( Kidding )

Just try it out and play around with unwrap. RK

[erickdt]

Thanks guys.

 

Have a look at this. If I were doing this for real I'd probably spend some more time on the UVW map as it's a little wonky where the risers meet the stringers but all in all I think it looks pretty decent.

 

E

[HawkPoint3D]

OK..so -

What method UVW mapping are you using? Face, box,? Then you are unwrapping and packing the uv's?

I will mess with putting it into ZBrush and compare the results tonight.

Edited June 24, 2010 by HawkPoint3D

[erickdt]

Box UVW map (not unwrapped I don't know how), subdivide set to 6", displace (modifier) set to around 3" using existing mapping, mesh smooth.

 

E

[HawkPoint3D]

I have to unwrap the steps, they are irregular on purpose.

[Tommy L]

If they are going to be regular flagstones, I'd just model the individual stones. Prob take around 20 minutes. Easier than messing around with unwrapping.

[-MerlyN-]

If they are going to be regular flagstones, I'd just model the individual stones. Prob take around 20 minutes. Easier than messing around with unwrapping.

 

 

 

 

You model 1000+ different stones and arrange them on an irregular shaped mesh in just 20 minutes?!

I want to see that...

[Tommy L]

Well ok. Here's one. Took around 15 mins to model and material the steps. Just lift and rotate to the different levels of the steps and roughly slice out the edges if they show where you dont want them. And there you go. There's a noise modifier at vertex level to add 'uniqueness' top the steps. Neil Blevins Soulburn script to assign random mat id's and a multi-sub material for material 'uniqueness'.

Steps

[abmitalia]

Once I did 1001 Stones in 19 min -- Did I win ? ( Joking )

Anyway I would model out too. Takes a little time but you can manage the scale with about 20 different stones and than build it up. RK

[-MerlyN-]

@Tom Ok. I take back my little sarcasm. Thats a really nice image btw.

 

I think Dave was after a more rough and irregular look, though. Still I guess Ralf's right it possible to do this with a fairly low amount of different stones and then randomize them further with textures and noise modifiers.

[nelpiper]

I think you should unwrapp it using a simple method (like unfold) and take it into photoshop. There you'll have fine control over the position of the textures. You can have different textures to each step if you want to. Good luck.