Creating Photorealistic Textures on a 3D Model

In this chapter, we will apply all the skills that we’ve learned so far in a project working with a 3D model. We will first download a steering wheel model and add some materials to it, before adding some unique, custom-made details.

By adding high-quality textures, we prepare our 3D models for impressive animations and renders. Models that appear realistic are highly sought after in advertising, product visualization, interior design, and other fields where aesthetics are important. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to apply photorealistic textures finished with high-quality texture maps to your models and create custom texture-painted details and features.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

• Adding basic materials to the steering wheel
• Baking a custom Normal map
• Applying a logo to the steering wheel
• Painting buttons with stencils

Technical requirements

This chapter includes exercises that require you to download some content. You will have to download a 3D model of a steering wheel, to which we will apply some textures created throughout this chapter, among other resources:

• Steering wheel 3D model
• Custom Normal map
• Logo texture and Normal map
• Dashboard icons stencil

Each of these files can be found in the Chapter10 folder within the book’s downloadable resources folder, available here: https://packt.link/mA1OU

Adding basic materials to the steering wheel

In this section, we will add some simple materials and texture maps to the steering wheel model. First, we will create two separate leather materials for the handles and the center pad, and then a carbon fiber material for the connectors.

Adding texture to handles

In the following steps, we will take a downloaded leather texture and its texture maps and apply them to the steering wheel’s handles:

1. First, download a leather material of your choice from textures.com.

Figure 10.1 – Downloading a leather material from textures.com

2. Add a new black material to the steering wheel handles, as shown in Figure 10.2.

Figure 10.2 – Adding a black material

We will use texture maps to turn this material into leather.

3. Add a Node Wrangler with Ctrl + T and load the downloaded leather Normal map into the Image Texture node. Set Texture Coordinate...

Baking a custom Normal map

We will now learn how to create a custom Normal map pattern. Although these textures can be downloaded as at the beginning of this chapter, you are encouraged to bake the pattern yourself to learn how to create custom Normal maps. In the following steps, we will model and bake the custom pattern as a Normal map:

1. Shape a simple hexagon using a plane, as shown in Figure 10.17. Make sure to copy the exact measurements.

   It is important to use the same measurements because otherwise the texture will not be seamless, and there will be inconsistencies in the pattern.

Figure 10.17 – Modeling a hexagon

2. Inset the faces and push them down as shown in Figure 10.18.

Figure 10.18 – Insetting faces in the hexagon

3. Add an Array modifier with a Constant Offset value of 2m on the Y axis.

Figure 10.19 – Adding an Array modifier

4. Add...

Applying a logo to the steering wheel

We will now learn how to apply a logo to the center of the steering wheel. To do this, we must first download the logo texture from the Technical requirements section. Additionally, you can find and download any logo online by searching for “[any supercar] logo” online.

In the following steps, we will apply a logo to the center of the steering wheel:

1. Create a new material and assign it to the logo in the middle.

Figure 10.24 – Assigning a new material to the logo shape

2. Use an Image Texture to load the logo into the material. By default, the image will probably not be mapped correctly. We will fix that in the upcoming steps.

Figure 10.25 – Incorrectly mapped logo

3. Unwrap the surface in Edit Mode by pressing U.

Figure 10.26 – Unwrapping the logo mesh

4. Switch to the UV Editing workspace.
...

Painting buttons with stencils

We will now use a custom stencil to texture-paint some icons onto the buttons on the steering wheel. Lots of icons can be found online by searching for dashboard icons, but you can download a pre-made icon stencil from the link provided in the Technical requirements section of this chapter to save time.

In the following steps, we will prepare the buttons for texture painting so that we can use the stencil:

1. Add a new material to the buttons and name the material Buttons.

   In the material, add an Image Texture node.

Figure 10.31 – Creating a new material for the buttons

2. In the Image Texture node, generate a new black image named Button Icons and set the resolution to 2048x2048.

Figure 10.32 – Generating a new image for the buttons

3. With the buttons selected in object mode, switch to the Texture Paint workspace. The object has already been UV-unwrapped.
...

Summary

In this chapter, we took a 3D model of a steering wheel and completed it with realistic materials and textures. We learned how to create leather, carbon fiber, custom Normal maps, and buttons with custom texture-painted icons.

In the next chapter, we will explore the different types of lights available for use to light a scene. This will allow us to finalize our work and render it for an impressive portfolio item.