Materials, Textures and UV Mapping
PBR materials
Modern renderers and game engines use physically based rendering (PBR). A material is defined mainly by:
| Map / property | Controls |
|---|---|
| Base colour (albedo) | the surface colour without lighting |
| Roughness | glossy (0) to matte (1) |
| Metallic | metal (1) or non-metal (0) |
| Normal | fine surface detail faked with lighting |
| Height / displacement | real geometric detail from a texture |
| Ambient occlusion | soft shadowing in crevices |
UV mapping
To paint a 2D image onto a 3D surface, the surface is "unfolded" into a flat UV map, like a cardboard box opened flat.
- Mark seams where the model can be cut (hidden areas, natural edges).
- Unwrap, then check for stretching with a checker texture.
- Pack UV islands efficiently to use the texture space well.
Procedural vs image textures
- Image textures: painted or photographed images, mapped through UVs. Great for unique detail.
- Procedural textures: generated by maths (noise, wood, marble patterns). No UVs needed in many cases, resolution-independent, easy to tweak.
Texture resources
Free, legal PBR libraries: Poly Haven and ambientCG (CC0). Always check licences for anything you sell.
Texture painting and baking
- Texture painting lets you paint directly on the model in Blender or Substance Painter.
- Baking transfers details (from a high-poly model, or procedural materials) into image maps for use in games and on the web.
Exercise
UV-unwrap your mug with seams on the handle and bottom, check stretching with a checker texture, and create two materials: glazed ceramic (low roughness) and a matte clay version, using a CC0 texture for one.
Check yourself
- What does the roughness value control?
- Why do models need UV maps for image textures?
- When would you choose procedural textures?
I tuoi progressi sono salvati solo in questo browser.
Invia per la revisione (10 punti)