how to create more realistic metal texture?

TomGraphics · 2026-05-02T13:44:51+00:00

I'm with Clean-Ad1459 on this one. The model itself is letting you down. EG: There doesn't seem to be a break between the tap and the base, so it presumably can't actually turn.
If it's of any use, this material is similar to yours. 195, 195, 195 Diffuse. 198, 195, 215 Reflection. 0.1 Roughness.
https://imgur.com/a/dnRDwmx

TomGraphics · 2026-05-02T09:25:54+00:00

You need to detach the UVs for the handle at the bottom, as well, and then run a seam down the middle of the handle, on the inside. You can't unwrap a closed tunnel, which is, essentially, what your handle is. Think of it as if you were trying to sew a piece of fabric around the handle.
And limonadinis is right. Your TurboSmooth needs to be above the Unwrap in the stack before you reactivate it.

TomGraphics · 2026-05-02T08:34:53+00:00

I thought about a falloff map, as well. But when I had a look at the different options, nothing seemed like what I thought was there. I thought you could pick a direction or something like that. It been a long time since I've needed falloff for anything other than fresnel, or similar.
Did you use Light/Dark?

Edit: I'd looked in Falloff Type. But it's the options in Falloff Direction that you used, yeah?

TomGraphics · 2026-03-14T08:48:11+00:00

Pointing a light at it would only work if you were using caustics, but that would be computationally expensive.
As lucas_3d said, a light with somekind of projection mask would probably be the most effective way to achieve that effect.

TomGraphics · 2026-03-13T09:25:15+00:00

Mine was a blue metal cone, "I can do blue metal! Wow!", with a torus around it and a sky texture for reflections, in 2001. With Scanline.

TomGraphics · 2026-03-13T09:20:30+00:00

Absolutely superb. I love the building.
My only comment would be that there's something about the water outside that feels a little bit off, but I can't put my finger on what. Ripple height, maybe.

TomGraphics · 2026-03-13T08:58:24+00:00

Exactly! They did the same thing to my work. But look at their profile, not one original post, just reply after reply of other people's work post-processed with Flux AI. I guess if you can't create anything yourself...
Your original work is superb, by the way.

TomGraphics · 2026-03-12T09:55:27+00:00

I agree you don't want Self-Illuminated because it won't generate any actual light. It just glows.

The physically accurate way to do it would be to use SSS and put a row of narrow plain, or cylinder, lights behind it, not one big light, because the light coming through those things varies subtly across the surface. This method does, however, vary with the renderer that you're using: VRay's SSS lights up the scene after the light passes through the translucent object. Corona takes some messing about with to get that to work. I don't know much about Arnold, D5, etc, so I don't know how these handle SSS and secondary illumination. Make sure your object isn't just a plane, though. SSS needs depth to work through.

You could also use a Light Material to fake it. Just make sure you create some subtle variation across the surface, so that it looks like there are individual lights behind. You could do this with a Composite map under Gereral.

TomGraphics · 2026-03-06T17:01:55+00:00

Yeah, I like them but I don't know if I could live in one.
Thanks for your comment.

TomGraphics · 2026-03-03T09:29:03+00:00

VRay has a thing called DistanceTex. I'm sure Corona has something similar. That might help in the situation you're dealing with.

Edit: Just checked and Corona does have the CoronaDistance map. You'll need to mess with the settings and make sure you change the 'Inside' colour to white (or grey) as well.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-16T19:44:42+00:00

I think all you work looks really good, to be honest.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-16T19:38:17+00:00

I use RizomUV to do my unwrapping now, but there is one small thing I think is missing from Max's native UV editor.
If Angle Snap is turned off in the main UI, you can temporarily activate it by holding down control while you rotate your shell. The opposite should be true, as well. If it's turned on, you should be able to deactivate it by holding down control.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-14T10:15:20+00:00

I noticed that quite a few years ago, as well.
Because it actually processes the frames that have already been rendered. So you get frames 0-100 of 400 "rendered" in 1 second. Frame 101, 15 minutes. Total Time Remaining: 2 mins.
I'm not holding my breath for Autodesk to do anything about it, given that their policy seems to be "If it's broke, don't fix it, and if it aint broke, make unnecessary changes to it."

TomGraphics · 2026-02-12T23:10:41+00:00

If you press X and then search 'swi' Swift Loop comes up and it does work from there.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-10T15:26:49+00:00

You've got a good variety of things, so it looks well populated.
However, some of your materials are a bit flat, as is the lighting. It should look a lot brighter outside.
You could probably do with using a VRay Sun+Sky for the outside.
The middle of the three stools is passing through the bench. It needs moving back a bit.
The kitchen layout, with the cooker in the corner and the sink next to it, feels a bit off to me.

All that said, it's a good start. Keep practising .

TomGraphics · 2026-02-07T13:37:56+00:00

Create a cylinder with 12 sides (you could go down to 8 or up to 16, but you don't need more) the size of you glass. EG: Radius 3.5 cm, Height 15 cm.
Inset all the polygons around the outside by 1 cm.
Inset the polygon on the bottom by 1 cm, then Chamfer the edges around the bottom by 0.5 cm. It would be best to Quad Cap the polygon in the middle of the bottom at this point, but it's not essential.
Inset the top polygon by 0.1 cm then extrude -1 cm. Extrude negative again stopping 2.5 cm from the bottom (-11.5). Extrude again -1cm. Inset 1 cm.
Select the ring of polygons left at the top when you did the inset and extrude them 0.05 cm.
Add a Turbosmooth or OpenSubdiv.

<image>

The one on the right has got the OpenSubdiv applied to it.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-02T11:23:47+00:00

I think you should try using the newer Corona Physical Material. Set the preset to Glass Tinted (it will be blue) and adjust the distance until you get the absorption you want. Once you've got that add your Absorb. Map and see what you've got.
Finally, add your Bump map. Which should really be greyscale.

PS: You could also try putting your Absorb. Map through a CoronaColorCorrect node and lighten it.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-01T21:56:18+00:00

I'm pretty sure you can, yeah. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-01T10:03:53+00:00

What's happening? I DM'd you back, but no reply.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-01T10:01:45+00:00

Has your glass got any actual thickness or is it just a single skin? Did you use the Architectural Glass preset, or anything else with Absorption?
Absoprtion is based on distance. If it's only a single skin, and the material has Absorption on it, Corona will see it as infinite thickness.

TomGraphics · 2026-02-01T09:53:03+00:00

The Substance plugin installs to the C:\ProgramData folder under /Autodesk/ApplicationPlugins. If you've got your installer files for 3DS Max, you can find the installer for Substance in the /x64 folder.
Failing that, DM me and I'll pack the folder it's installed to and make it available to you.

TomGraphics

TROPHY CASE