Add reflection to wrapped image

Deeg

Hi Carrara Group,
I'm trying to add a reflective layer over a UV wrapped image on a cup and I'm not sure how to do this in the Layers Tree.
The reflection will be meant to represent shiny clear plastic with the label being behind it or under it.

Sorry I can't post an image, it's for a job.

Any advice will definitely help. Thanks.

Darren

Dartanbeck

If you want that deep, image under glass or plastic look, I might try duplicating the model, scaling up the second and giving it a glass shader - straight from the exAample shaders that come with Carrara - so that the second (outer layer) model is nothing more than a transparent, reflective surface... much like how DAZ figures have a clear coating over the eyes for such reasons.

evilproducer

DG426 said:

Hi Carrara Group,
I'm trying to add a reflective layer over a UV wrapped image on a cup and I'm not sure how to do this in the Layers Tree.
The reflection will be meant to represent shiny clear plastic with the label being behind it or under it.

Sorry I can't post an image, it's for a job.

Any advice will definitely help. Thanks.

Darren

So you want just the UV mapped image to be reflective?

You may not be able to share the actual image due to contractual obligations, but can you post a reference image from the web somewhere that shows more specifically what you want? Maybe a simple mock-up?

My first thought is that you could put an image map in the reflection channel to define what reflects and what doesn't. If the whole label is supposed to be equally reflective, trace the shape of the label that you're using in your image editor and make it white with the non-reflective area black. I could be have it backwards, so if I do, there's an Invert Color checkbox that you can enable near the image map thumbnail.

Deeg

Dartanbeck,
Works beautifully, Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
I was stuck in Shader mode.

Thank you, I'll remember this tip.

Darren

dot_bat

id like to see the shader set up for this, as i cant visualise what youse guys are talking about here, any chance? thanx

evilproducer

dot_bat said:

id like to see the shader set up for this, as i cant visualise what youse guys are talking about here, any chance? thanx

I'm in the middle of rendering right now, so I'll have to get back to this when I have some time.

dot_bat

thanx evilproducer

evilproducer

So here's a simple UV mapped vertex sphere. I saved out the template so I could do a basic paint job in PS, although you could use the 3D paint tool in Carrara for this as well.

I created a color map and loaded it into the color channel. I also created a black and white map and loaded it into the reflection channel. The shape is white and reflects. I inverted in one of my examples to show how it looked.

dot_bat

thats what i call thorough explanation, and much appreciated evilproducer, thanx

evilproducer

dot_bat said:

thats what i call thorough explanation, and much appreciated evilproducer, thanx

Not a problem!

Deeg

Thanks Evil Producer,
I will try that technique out also. Very Cool. It's always great to learn something new.

Here's a unbranded example of the Plastic Cold Cup. This is using the an additional cup wall with the plastic applied.
The actual render that we're using came out much better than this example. Tweaked the lighting a lot, but this should get the idea across.
The environment map and the counter top are showing up in the reflections on the cup.

Darren

evilproducer

That looks great. Can't wait to see the advertisements! As usual, Dart's advice is spot on!

When the ad does come out, it would be cool if you could let us know where to look for it if it doesn't violate any NDAs. People here are always eager to see Carrara used in a professional context, Wouldn't hurt DAZ 3D to know that people actually use Carrara to make money as well. ;-)

Deeg

Will Do,
It may take a couple weeks for everything to go through. I'll make sure I get a copy and post it back here.

I've tried many 3D programs, Carrara made the most sense (to Me) from the first day I tried it, it just clicked with my brain.
It allows me to visualize concepts for the non visualizers and I can do a lot of things the guys with the $3600 programs do.

Every now and then I get hung up on something, but there's always help here on the forum.

Thank you Evil and Dartan, you really helped me out.

Darren

Dartanbeck

Awesome! (Just got home)

When I was first trying to wrap my head around what the various shader functions are capable of... or more... just trying to create various looks via shaders, I found that the immense catalog of examples that come with Carrara are a great place to learn from. So I made some sky domes (this was before I discovered how easily Carrara can make and use spherical background images) so that I could really see the effects of highlight, reflection, refraction, etc., and would load in example shaders onto an object and set up some lights to experiment with how the shader looked. ThenI'd head on into the texture room and take a close look at each shader channel that was not set to "none", and learn ways to use various procedural channel configurations.

Generation 4 figures, namely Victoria 4, really blew my mind as far as how nicely a 3d figure can be set up for great texturing. Having a separate mesh on the outer circumference of the eye is SO exceptional in a fast ray-tracer like Carrara! If youever use figures like V4 that have an outer eye layer, try the fun experiment of dragging the example "Glass" shaders onto that layer. Then you can go in and tweak the shader to be more or less reflective, change the highlighting, etc., just play around and render the results.

Speaking of learning from Carrara "Example" files from the browser, the "Scenes" tab has a plethora of excellent lighting setup examples to glean ideas from! There's the "Lighting" category, but also "Interiors", Logos, Effects, and more. Most of the scenes that come in the browser have some sort of great lighting technique to examine - much more so than any other 3d program I've ever seen.

It's like having tutorials built right into the application!

Check out the Misc tab in the browser. There's presets for modifiers, skies, volumetric lighting... all manner of fun experiments to delve into!

Carrara - the Home Movie Maker's Dream Software!

There was a buzz regarding a great effects software on the market called "Hit Film 2" recently. I checked it out and... yeah... most impressive it is! Then as I was checking out a bunch of the highlight videos, I was seeing effects that I can already make using good ol' Carrara - a wonderful app that I already own, and love to use!
True, much of this stuff can be a real benefit to be able to add quickly in post. I bought Dogwaffle Pro: Howler for just such things. I'm not sure about Hit Film 2, After Effects and others, but in Howler, I can use Carrara to actually create animated effects brushes with an alpha channel rendered into it! What a blast! What a Pile of Power!

Okay... perhaps a but over-enthusiastic. But it's coming from a guy whom never really has a pile of cash to toss around. So I have to invent ways to fix things using parts from my local hardware store... ways to create my animated visions using not much more than my favorite reason to head to my computer... the amazingly inexpensive Carrara Pro, with the amazingly inexpensive Carrara Partner Post Softy: Project Dogwaffle Pro: Howler!!!

Oh... am I babbling again? Ummmm.... Yup! Sorry!

Deeg

I did not forget about Posting the Flyer. just checked today and it's still in review.
UPDATE:
I have attached a finished, clipped, render of the Aroma Joe's Cold cups. All modeled and rendered in Carrara 8.5 Pro.
These were used for conceptual design to show the client and were going to be used on a counter card but they ended up changing the size of the cup midstream, so Photographs were used instead. The current taller cup is available through their Stores and website.

I was very happy with these renders. I know there's a little bit of cut off of the pattern at the top and bottom edges but I've since learned how to fix that. 3D is a long road.
My Design is on the left and my co worker's is on the right. He's a very talented artist. He sketches everything out. inks it, scans it and creates the final art in Illustrator. Both cups have artwork all the way around.

Darren

evilproducer

Very cool! It's nice to see the final product. It's also great to see Carrara used professionally.

Deeg

Thanks Evil,
Yes, and I like when I get to do a job with Carrara.

Dartanbeck

Yeah, this really is cool. I'm glad that you brought up the question because this sort of 'additional mesh' technique can be used for all manner of realistic looking needs - especially in this case, where there actually should be that second layer of different material around the outside.

I'd also like to mention, just to contribute to what evilproducer was doing, that we can mix and match these techniques for many different results by multiplying, adding, diving, etc., either values, maps, colors, etc., with the original element(s) used in the reflection channel, which also goes for Glow, Color, Highlight, Shininess, and other channels. For example, in evilproducer's rather fine explanation early on in the previous page, he shows using a map to control the reflection, then shows it again inverted. Well we may also use both the inverted and original at the same time, and then applying different multipliers, divisions, additions, subtractions, etc., to each of them individually, creating 'nested' channels. This can be done easily, even though the nest can end up looking rather elaborate, but as long as we continue to follow what we're doing with each branch of the nest, it has been (to me) very easy to keep track of, in the end.

In evilproducer's example, the black and white image that he created is called a mask. These are very useful for many things.
We can use these to get away with doing different things without the need for adding additional shading domains, even though it can often be easier to add a new domain - or even some extra mesh - where needed. For example, you could make a simple, squat, cylinder to create the head of a magnifying glass, and use a mask to determine the frame from the lens. Just export the UV Map, as evil explains, and make an appropriate mask - and with just one mask, we can set the outer edge as well as a smidgen of the face of the cylinder to be metal or plastic, then invert the mask and set it up to refract, reflect, and be transparent.

I love how this all works in Carrara. It's all so very straight forward to set up, once we get a true vision of what the material has to end up being, in relation to light and its surroundings. Nodal systems are also easy to understand, once you know what they're capable of, and what can be added - and how... but Carrara's shader room is essentially a nodal system with presets that already have all nodes available already linked together where they belong in the chain of nodal hierarchies, so all we have to do is to fill in each node that we need to implement which, again, Carrara makes exceptionally easy and comprehensive to understand. Somebody sure had their thinking cap on when they've developed the Texture Room for Carrara!

This is the main reason why I am truly in no hurry to stray from the Carrara render engines... I love this shader setup!

Hey Darren,
Very cool, my friend! Thanks for sharing this!

Deeg

Thanks Dartanbeck,
I love how the program works also. I'm so happy I found it.
Oh yes, there's a lot to learn.

Darren