Blending of colour and image in materials

avmorgan

This discussion was created from comments split from: RRRR TTD Voting thread.

avmorgan

Karibou said:

 

cecilia.robinson said:

Abendwind, KaribousBoutique, zarcondeegrissom - I agree with everything you said. I have a feeling the current categories are a bit too narrow. For instance, the emotional picture of that lizard girl sitting on the windowsill. My entry poses no competition to yours, but I am satisfied with it. Crazy collection of items I somehow managed to put together, the lighting was fine to me and I learned how to use primitives (though putting the letters on it through texturing was such a pain - they kept getting distorted - that I had to put them on through PowerPoint; is it possible to export a texture template of a primitive out of DS?)!

 

If you're using DS, one of the easiest ways to add lettering to a primitive (or anything else!) is to use the layered image editor. So long as you have ANY image applied to the primitive (even something you have no intention of using) you can select "use layered image" from the diffuse image selector. Create a layer and add the image with your lettering on it -- the LIE allows you to move/scale/rotate your layered image. If your text layer has a white background, use the "multiplicative" blend mode. If you have a dark background and light text, use the "additive" blend mode. The LIE also ignores transparent areas of .pngs, in which case the default alpha blend mode works fine.

I've been searching for information concerning the "alpha blend mode" in the layered image editor, hoping it will clue me in on the default blending mode for colors added to a texture in the materials properties, and this is the best hint I've come across. It suggests that the default blend mode, if you leave it set on alpha blend mode for a layer colored using the color picker in L.I.E., the color is effectively multiplied, and I presume that would make multiplication the default blend mode in the properties the same. 

Is this a correct assumption?

Richard Haseltine

Yes, in general colours and maps are multiplied when both can be set for a property.

avmorgan

Thanks, Richard! I was a bit unsure after trying to use an image map in Translucency which was originally a face SSS map modified in Photoshop with the eyebrows colored to match my hair Translucency, and the skin areas colored (multiplied) using the color originally in the color picker). The face ended up too dark and too red compared to the original SSS map with the color added. I revised my map several times getting it to look right in the render, and my "redhead" eyebrows are no longer coming out so dark.