SHINY SWORD PROBLEMS

paolo_fabregas

Hello experts.

I'm totally new to this and I've been struggling trying to get some reflection on the sword that I just purchased. The blade just seems to turn black. Any suggestions?

 

nemesis10

What sort of HDRI is it reflecting?  Your scene isn't a closed box, is it?

kenshaw011267

With that little light coming from that angle why would the sword reflect much of anything? For polished metal to reflect it needs fairly bright light hitting it and something to reflect.

Exeter

This may sound counterintuituve, but try reducing the glossiness on the blade. Really shiny surfaces are sensitive to the angle of the lighting, and will appear black with many lighting conditions. Redusing the gloss can give you more latitude.

 

paolo_fabregas

Thanks for the comments! I'm a total noob so please be gentle.

@nemesis - no it's not a closed box. There's a plain and a background. I'll see what happens when I incrase the HDRI.

@kenshaw. I'll increase the lighting and see what that does.

@Exeter. Will try that!

Thanks again guys. I tried putting the sword all by itself in a bright HDRI and it immediately started working better. So, it looks like my dramatic lighting isn't "sword reflection" friendly.