new material preview scene

[geoadel]

Well, I was really inspired by the i of indigo. So I created a small scene with it - it is open for interpretation of course.

First an easy diffuse-test

Code: Select all

<material>
    <name>Material</name>
        <diffuse>
            <colour>0.6 0.3 0.2</colour>
         </diffuse>
</material>

Some yellow-tinted glas (I think I copied the settings for this from somewhere )

Code: Select all

	<medium>
		<name>Material</name>
		<ior>1.550</ior>
		<cauchy_b_coeff>0.004</cauchy_b_coeff>
		<absorption_coefficient_spectrum>
			<uniform>3.6</uniform>
			<rgb>
				<rgb>0.040 0.219 1.000</rgb>
			</rgb>
		</absorption_coefficient_spectrum>
		<precedence>15</precedence>
	</medium>

Something shiny... (using a nk-file)


and some try at SSS (sorry, I could not let it finish, I have a very, very slow computer at my disposal right now It took hours, to even get this poor and noisy result )

Code: Select all

<medium>
  <name>Material</name>
  <ior>1.35</ior>
  <cauchy_b_coeff>0.0</cauchy_b_coeff>
  <precedence>10</precedence>
  <absorption_coefficient_spectrum>
     <rgb>
         <rgb>0.001 0.003 0.013</rgb>
     </rgb>
  </absorption_coefficient_spectrum>
      
  <subsurface_scattering>
      <scattering_coefficient_spectrum>
          <rgb>
              <rgb>11.873 13.293 14.589</rgb>
          </rgb>
       </scattering_coefficient_spectrum>  
       <phase_function>
           <uniform/>
       </phase_function>
   </subsurface_scattering>
 </medium> 
 

And finally some textured version:



In case someone is interested in the scene, here is the xml-file.
http://rapidshare.com/files/13025318/untitled.xml.html

If someone would like to play with the .blend, you can download it here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/13025648/un ... blend.html

I hope you don't mind me giving the material-codes I used but I felt it might help others (I learned a lot from sample-material-codes

Cheers and thanks for this great renderer, this wonderful website and all you lovely people

[Aardbei]

Many people here seem to forget the following fact: a material preview is not a whole scene. It's for showing off materials, not your modelling skills.

With that said, I like arneoog's and radiance's ideas best

[Slobodan]

Ok, here it is my try.
This is just a test to see if you guys like the model.
I'm going to improve it but wondering about the idea.

It's not rendered in Indigo since I didn't have time to play with xml files.

Thanks,

Slobodan

[Big Fan]

edited to remove all

[Aardbei]

Excuse me, but it looks like a pointy Tarzan

My point still stands though. It should show off the properties of a material, not a persons modelling skills. That's why I think arneoog and radiance's versions are better.

[Slobodan]

Well Aardbei,

I assume that you are refering to both of our entries and I think that they would represent all kinds of materials very well. You have to remember that in order to do that you need somehow complex model too. Eventough I think BigFan achieved that with very simple model.

Let us know if you have any suggestion of how do we improve it.
Keep them comming..

Thanks,

Slobodan

[Aardbei]

Well, first off, the whole model is not viewable in one go. With that, I mean it is not clear what the materials properties are when watching the image quickly. Imagine having a full library / page with your image for each material and you'll understand what I mean.

Same goes for the checkered floor. Besides the old story of it being not quite artistically preferred by many people (really, I'm doing my very best to say it nicely ), there's also far too much contrast in the texture. The focus should be on the material properties, not the floor.

That very same argument can be used for the fading into the black as well.

While the 'i' could a nice idea, the "wings" aren't really appealing to look at. They're far too reflective, the corners are endlessy sharp (impossible in real life), etc, etc.

The best shape for a material preview is a sphere, or something that resembles it, because:

- it makes most and the best use of the image resolution, which is (imho) important for a material preview
- it catches your eye faster when browsing through a page full of previews
- you can view the materials properties under more different angles (that's why I don't prefer your flattened shape)
- and thus, you can see how the material reacts to different lighting conditions

There's lots of more reasons, but these are the ones I could think of after looking at your image.

Many of these arguments are valid for Big Fan's image as well, aside from the fact that I think it looks like a pointy dildo (sorry! not meant to be offensive in any way ).

Hope this comment was a bit more constructive to any of you.

[Aardbei]

Oh and by the way, I love the one with the tentacles, but it's definitely not an image I'd want to look at when looking for a material, because I'd have to analyse each preview very closely to see the actual properties of the material

[YaroslavL]

I have some images, but can't attach them...
How is it possoble to add pictures from hd (not from http) to message.

[Aardbei]

You have to upload them first. It's not possible to link images from your own hard disk (not by just specifying a normal link and without running server software at least).

There's a lot of online services you can use for that. I'm still using www.imageshacks.us , but you'll have to copy the link for the image itself, otherwise you'll get advertising pop ups.

If you'd like another host for your images, do a simple Google search for "image hosting" and you'll find hundreds of them

[YaroslavL]

Ok!

[Aardbei]

You have to link to the image itself, not the link to the page with the image in it

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/8571/glasskj5.jpg is the link you should use.

This link can be found by copying the address of the image (with IE, it's in your image properties, with Firefox or Opera you can copy the link from the context menu of the image).

[arneoog]

I can't say that any of the models here (except radiance's one) are close to what I see as the perfect one

Quoting myself

A material preview model should follow something like these criterias:
- 10x10x10 cm
- As few parts as possible
- As round and/or squered as possible
- Has to show Reflection
- Has to show SSS
- Has to show Refactions
- Has to show a 90 degree edge
- Big enough details to be viewed at 220x220 (440x440)
- And it has to be neat and cool, with no irritating shapes..

I really want a PERFECT preview model, Better than Maxwell's one!!

[Slobodan]

Hi Aardbei,

Thanks for all your comments. All of them are very valid.
I was showing only model, composition was just quick setup, nothing else.

Ok, then back to work. Hopefully we come up with something!!

Slobodan

[Big Fan]

edited to remove all