Correct way to do window glass?

[Chris_TC]

Hello,

I was wondering: what is the proper way to do window glass. I did a few exterior renders, and they turned out great. I only had a single flat glass surface and applied a specular material to it. It also seemed to clear quickly.

But in general:
1) Should I give the windows thickness (i.e. two surfaces instead of one)?
2) Should I apply a special kind of material (I believe Maxwell has special architectural glass for flat surfaces, so that they clear more quickly)?

[t_3]

Hello,

I was wondering: what is the proper way to do window glass. I did a few exterior renders, and they turned out great. I only had a single flat glass surface and applied a specular material to it. It also seemed to clear quickly.

But in general:
1) Should I give the windows thickness (i.e. two surfaces instead of one)?
2) Should I apply a special kind of material (I believe Maxwell has special architectural glass for flat surfaces, so that they clear more quickly)?

1) a glass should have thickness, at least if you want to look through it. otherwise octane is not able to calculate refractions correctly (for a specular mat an object with only one coplaner surface has an endless depth - sort of). if you have a curved surface (often seen with car lights), such distortions are pretty visible; even a flat surface already creates an unnatural distortion, if you look through it.
2) depends on. a glossy mat with opacity might be useful; in a sunlit interior scene it might be good to hide windows glasses at all, to gain better performance. needs a little experimentation...

[Chris_TC]

Thank you! I will keep in mind what you said.