Here is another prop I am working on. It's a street cone, the white tape is supposed to be reflective, and the orange plastic is supposed to have a bit of sheen beneath the dirt, but I have not quite yet grasped specular maps like I want to. Any input on how to improve this spec, diffuse, ect would be immensely helpful and greatly appreciated.

Question: Should I make a self illumination map to show the reflective aspects of the tape, or somehow use the spec map?

Here's the poop:







Diffuse:


Normal:


Spec Level:


Spec Color:

Don't use specular color *and* level, just pick one. As it is you're double multiplying it, and it's flattening out the spec.

Anyway, I'd go color only for spec, way darker on the reflective tape and metals' diffuse, and way brighter on their specular.

Looking good.

Crits:
- The reflective tape should have a higher/different spec then the rest of the cone.
- The bottom part of the orange piece doesn't blend well into flat bottom part. Check the normal map, its casting a really dark shadow when it shouldn't. I suspect it is because you rendered out the base and the orange part separately? Or the ring around the bottom isn't represented properly on the low poly model.
- The top of the cone base has more damage/dirt then the bottom, hows that work? Whats with the little tree branch thingies on the base?
- The color/spec of the base is reading more like metal then plastic/rubber.

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Looking good.

Crits:
- The reflective tape should have a higher/different spec then the rest of the cone.
- The bottom part of the orange piece doesn't blend well into flat bottom part. Check the normal map, its casting a really dark shadow when it shouldn't. I suspect it is because you rendered out the base and the orange part separately? Or the ring around the bottom isn't represented properly on the low poly model.
- The top of the cone base has more damage/dirt then the bottom, hows that work? Whats with the little tree branch thingies on the base?
- The color/spec of the base is reading more like metal then plastic/rubber.

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Thanks for the crits, couple of questions though:

The reflective tape should have a higher/different spec then the rest of the cone. <font color="red">So does that mean the orange part need to be darker/obsorb more light then the tape, and will that help it shine, or do I still need a illumination map? </font>

The color/spec of the base is reading more like metal then plastic/rubber. <font color="red"> Whats the best way to do that? Do I make the spec level darker on the plastic and not point out the scratches? Because I think I have the scratches in a lighter color and it is giving that chipped metal look. Do you agree? </font>

EDIT: Only four crits from Vig [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] That must mean I did something right, you're usually able to write a book about my works problems :P Maybe you're just tired.

Blue font on blue background equal's eyes bleeding...

If it hasn't already been mentioned, the pattern on the white is odd, do you have a reference image your working off from?

Good work so far just pimp the new edited version soon [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

oh crap, my eyes... I can no longer see blue... I'm color blind!

Not really tired, you did a lot right just a few things stick out.

That's pretty accurate to the type of reflective tape they use, well as close as you can get with filters =P The actual pattern is less chaotic. http://www.beseenonabike.com/shopuk/...light_anim.gif

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or do I still need a illumination map?

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illum map on a traffic cone? umm no... if you feel like faking some illum you can paint a slightly whiter spec color on the orange part of the cone right around the tape as well as paint some white in the same place on the defuse. It will look like the tape is glowing, slightly...

Yep its the sharp white scratches/highlights that are making it look like metal. The grey color is pushing it toward a metal look also. I understand why you went with grey, to make it look dirty and faded it was a good call. BUT the rubber started out black and faded. The fade is a nice touch, but its the sun and dirt that does the fading and the bottom of the cone would be less faded then the top. When you get deeper into the rubber (like a scratch would show) its still black, if you did a cross section, only the outer skin would be grey. If you scratch it you won't reveal a lighter color, its going to be darker.

I would also fade the orange part of the cone from the top down to make it look a little sun faded, like this.
http://www.pbase.com/image/28925641/medium.jpg