Brushed Metal

[yourfather]

I am making a product rendering and the main material is Brushed Metal. Since this is a product and we are rendering a close up of it, my client is very particular about the quality (rightfully so).

 

I find that the procedural brushed metal textures only look good in certain situations. Typically, the grain looks too long and when I shorten the grain (the noise pattern), it doesnt look natural.

 

I would rather use a high quality photo of brushed metal. Does anyone know of a Great, High Quality Brushed Metal Texture I can buy?

 

Thanks i advance.

[meherthakker]

see if this helps..download the sample file and test the material in your scene

 

http://www.mrcad.com/brushed-steel-metal-material-with-anisotropic-shader-in-3dsmax9/

[RyderSK]

This is still the best tutorial for anisotropic brushed metal:

 

 

http://www.evermotion.org/tutorials/show/7875/anisotropic-shader-tutorial-using-vray-1-5-final-sp-1

 

 

About the texture, I don't think you will find anything like that. True metals have ONLY reflective property, so it's not possible to do true cross-polarized photography out of which you can make tileable texture. As you see in the article, you have to create it by yourself.

[yourfather]

Thanks for the tips, both of you.

 

unfortunately, my client wouldnt be happy with those results :/ I usually have to bring in some brushed metal texture from a picture in photoshop and touch up the rendering. Its funny because procedural gets me about 70% there but never all the way. This of course is subjective. At certain distances its fine, but up close it never looks as real.

 

I will take the tutorials from both of you and see what I can add to my method.

 

Have a great weekend.

[RyderSK]

You will still have to create the reflective map by yourself, and it will have to be pretty large, so start in 4k px. It should contain the grain (don't use bump preferably ! unless it's veeeery rough brush). but also surface imperfections in high (dents..etc, but only if it's there, but prolly not for clean product shot) and low frequencies (basically noise of the real surface ).

Depending on reflective properties of your metal, you might opt to go for double layered material as well (after brushing, lot of metals are polished back in "glaze"?)

 

The texture in tutorial is good, but small for your needs, as it seems you need extreme close-up or hi-res images or both. Check the texture that I use, but it's again, not that hi-res either...

 

[yourfather]

yeah thats much more natural.

 

Thanks for the tips on the "properties". I was thinking the same about the bump. Though I'd like to do a double layered material, i think its beyond my ability at this time. Im guessing its something like the "Automobile Paint Textures".

 

Your sample will be very helpful as a reference.

 

Thanks again.

[RyderSK]

yeah thats much more natural.

 

Thanks for the tips on the "properties". I was thinking the same about the bump. Though I'd like to do a double layered material, i think its beyond my ability at this time. Im guessing its something like the "Automobile Paint Textures".

 

Your sample will be very helpful as a reference.

 

Thanks again.

 

No, it wouldn't be that complicated. You would mix two metals with different anisotrophic values (the top layer would for example don't even need anisotrophy) and different reflective values (the top would be almost mirror like, while the underneath could be between 30-40perc. etc.).

 

If you use Vray, make sure you have ward mode BRDF, the other two don't simulate anisotrophy. In metals, it's best to keep diffuse pure black and have all the other information in reflective and roughness/glossy slot.

 

Metals are hard and lot of eye-balling, so I understand your frustration. It took me full week of experimentation to get kitchen brushed metal to look like in catalogue shot and I still didn't get the exact look I was after. Again, if you use Vray, and want full look, check sub-pixel OFF.

[Jose Negrete]

Juraj,

 

I really appreciate your tips. Thanks!

[Alexander N.]

There are many good texture samples available for download: brushed metal textures