The above image contains a step by step description of the way the roof texture was created. First I added contrast and colour to the texture by duplicating the layer and setting the blending mode to Multiply. I then used Colour Range to select some of the red paint and increase its intensity. Finally, I added some rust, paint chips and metallic details to make the texture stand out.
Next up is how I extracted the dripping details form a concrete texture to be used for the roof as well as other elements of the building (Fig.16).
Fig.16
Now, moving on to some of the details, we’ll first take a look at the entrance door (Fig.17). It is important to remember that keeping the PSD files organised and with as few layers and special blending modes as possible will avoid making the final texture look too cluttered. One layer for each detail type should be enough: rust, chipped paint, scratches, dirt, text, etc. A good idea would be to keep volumetric details as separate layers to make them easier to convert to a normal map later on.
Fig.17
The following image shows how the wood texture was created. When details with clearly defined vertical or horizontal lines are concerned, the first thing to do is make sure they are lined up properly. This will make the tiling process easier (Fig.18).
Fig.18
Optimising the workflow means that it would be a good idea to keep some textures or elements of the textures in a “library” organised by category – dirt, stains, rust, etc. This will make them easier to find when needed. At the same time, the most interesting elements of the already created textures can be used either for the same asset or for other assets to save time if necessary.
One last detailed area I’d like to point out is the pipes. Here is the creation process detailed (Fig.19).
Fig.19
To summarise, only a few Photoshop tools are used when creating textures – tools like Colour Range, Replace Colour or Healing Brush. It is important to keep the number of layers to a minimum and use blending modes as little as possible. Always keep the resolution consistent throughout the textures. Don’t forget to keep volumetric details as separate layers to make it easier to create the normal map and specular map later. All the time saved from keeping the workflow as organised as possible will give you more time to fine-tune the texture or add details to areas that you might have neglected.
Fig.20 shows the final version of the first map, with all the tiling areas. I set my target at using two 1024x1024 textures and one 512x256 alpha texture. Even with the budget restrictions, this should never be an impediment in adding as much details as possible. Adding more details on the tileable textures is always better than adding less when trying to minimise visible tiling areas.
This image was created using
a few of the hundreds of textures from the
Total Texture CDs - very comprehensive texture
collections priced with the hobbyist in mind.
To see more examples, download free
samples and read full details follow
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