How to make real looking fabric?????

[clausgs]

HI

I am fairly new to Octane render. I am using Sketchup for my 3D modeling and mapping and then render in Octane.

I have tried for some time to get a realistic looking fabric and or leather, but can not. I can get a slight fabric pattern on the surface but nothing like below links. I am missing the deep feeling of a fabric.
I have tried some of the materials in the live DB but no depth feeling either.
I am sure it can be done but how?
Also many times i have problem to do some mapping in sketchup and that gives bad render's. Is there some way that i can do the modeling in sketchup and then export to other software that better and easier can do the mapping.?





Hope some one could help me with this.

Claus

[glimpse]

.. try normal maps insted of simple b&w bump =) You can generate those with some programs like nDo2.

falloff property in reflection or even in diffuse slots are also nesecary to get good looking of some fabric materials.

cheers

[kavorka]

if you are looking for a package to unwrap with, try Blender. It's completly free and is a much fuller modeling package than sketchup.
there are lots of free tuts to get started.
try:
http://cgcookie.com/blender/


You can also use a program like crazy bumps to make a normal and displacement map out of a texture (not perfect, but they help). Octane currently doesn't support displacement maps, but you can use Blender to add a displacement modifier and export it as pure geometry (be careful as your polycount can sky rocket)

[acc24ex]

you need to map those textures, those materials you did are pretty much ok
- also you need to configure the size of the texture according to the camera view - the farther you go the textures look like they have no bumps and so on..

I made this one with bump maps - and adjusted the standard cube mapping until it appeared like it had natural seams, on this one the bump texture (didn't use normal maps) was different than the diffuse texture

[clausgs]

HI

Thanks for you suggestions, what I use now is normal maps and that helps a lot. For the mapping of texture and normal maps on pillows and organic shapes I guess I will have to learn how to use Blender. In Sketchup i don't think i can do do it at all.

Any suggestions on what software is the easiest to use / learn when it comes to texture mapping.??
Is it possible to export the 3D model from sketchup and in to Blender do the mapping in Blender and then export it to sketchup and keep all the mapping's??

Claus

[kavorka]

If you can import a .obj or a .dae into sketchup, then it should keep your mappings.

[clausgs]

HI

sketchup can not import .obj or .dae files, so that would not be a solution.
any way thanks.

Claus