When the corresponding specular maps are combined with the colour maps you can see how the textures are enhanced (Fig06). When the scene is rendered with these enabled and the colour maps switched off you can see just what they contribute to the overall effect (Fig07).
Fig. 06
Fig. 07
When the scene is rendered once more with both maps active we can see just how well the specular maps contribute to a far more convincing render (Fig08).
Fig. 08
The render does look far better now and as this is only intended to be a still image, we can render out a separate Specular pass in our 3d package. This will help enhance the reflective quality of the metal and add some dynamism. In Fig09 I have overlayed the specular pass and set it to Screen blending mode and given it a reddish tint.
Fig. 09
This is the final render and hopefully you can see how effective the textures have been at transforming what is essentially a very simple scene. The specular maps in this instance have really provided the details and demonstrate how useful they can be when describing metal surfaces in particular. You can also now see clearly how the omni lights in front of the far door help improve the suggestion of small light panels.
Just for fun I added some extra touches to provide a bit more atmosphere. I created a colour adjustment layer in Photoshop to give the scene a warmer hue and pasted in some steam emerging form the small vents which I took from a photo.
I added some dirt maps to the textures and a small control panel on the far door (along with a new omni light). Some evidence of blood was painted in Photoshop as opposed to on the actual texture and a bit of “atmospheric perspective” to add humidity and voila, the final image (Fig10).
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
this link
