Shiny/metallic textures?
by Lee Latham · in Torque Game Engine · 01/23/2007 (12:41 am) · 11 replies
Hello,
Is there any way to get any kind of shiny/metallic effect on a DTS in TGE? What terminology should I be using to even ask this question? :)
Lee
Is there any way to get any kind of shiny/metallic effect on a DTS in TGE? What terminology should I be using to even ask this question? :)
Lee
#2
01/23/2007 (5:34 am)
You can only do environment mapping on players and mounted objects...I think. You can also use it on .dif materials. 
#3
01/23/2007 (7:26 am)
What does environment mapping reflect? Is it just the skycube colours?
#4
It shouldn't work on .dif.
STef
01/23/2007 (7:27 am)
@scott, environment mapping is also working on .dts objects.It shouldn't work on .dif.
STef
#5
01/23/2007 (7:28 am)
@Daniel: environment mapping reflects a sky texture specified in the sky group.
#6
01/23/2007 (7:29 am)
Check for the sky effect on the water in the demo. This is a good example.
#7
01/23/2007 (1:18 pm)
Well, environment mapping is a bit much. I'm looking at, for example, airplanes. It would be nice to have a shiny, metallic quality to the texture. But "mirror" is a bit much...
#8
And I'm personally very happy with.
01/23/2007 (2:08 pm)
@Lee: in the case of TGE environmental mapping is not mirroring. It is not CPU intensive. Better consider it as a trick.And I'm personally very happy with.
#9
I'm guessing that I will simply have to go with TSE if this is a showstopper for me...
01/23/2007 (3:16 pm)
Well, it's not cpu I'm concerned about, but simply the appearance being correct. You can't see any texture other than the "mirror-like" effect with environment mapping. I'm guessing that I will simply have to go with TSE if this is a showstopper for me...
#10
The emap in the demos looks like the sky. Thats fine if you're game is taking place entirely outside, but not ideal if you are switching between indoors and out often. This is something I whipped up really quickly last year, and it did the trick for what I needed it for. Feel free to use it in your own project.
EDIT: in order to have subtlety with environmental mapping, you need to adjust the alpha channel of your objects texture. Full white will be a fully opaque emap, whereas shades of grey will be a combination of your emap and your texture.
01/23/2007 (6:28 pm)
Lee, a good environment map will make something look shiney. It was what all of the classics of yesteryear used, and it still holds up today. The emap in the demos looks like the sky. Thats fine if you're game is taking place entirely outside, but not ideal if you are switching between indoors and out often. This is something I whipped up really quickly last year, and it did the trick for what I needed it for. Feel free to use it in your own project.
EDIT: in order to have subtlety with environmental mapping, you need to adjust the alpha channel of your objects texture. Full white will be a fully opaque emap, whereas shades of grey will be a combination of your emap and your texture.
#11
But let me do what I probably should have done in the first place, and show you what I'm after:
cm4msaa7.com/metallic.avi
I'm trying to get my head around how I might use an emap to achieve this "shiny" effect...?
01/23/2007 (6:43 pm)
Adam, thanks for that. I've looked all over for documentation on environment mapping, but can't find anything comprehensive. What I have found seems to indicate you use the alpha channel of a texture for it, which I find confusing. I know how to use the alpha channel for transparency...but for environment mapping? But let me do what I probably should have done in the first place, and show you what I'm after:
cm4msaa7.com/metallic.avi
I'm trying to get my head around how I might use an emap to achieve this "shiny" effect...?
Torque Owner Thomas \"Man of Ice\" Lund