Alpha map

Hi guys,
I’m very new to using the node editor. Could any kind soul out there please explain to me how you might achieve something like the cape in this picture http://freeios7.com/download/freeios7.com_apple_wallpaper_frozen-elsa_ipad_retina.jpg

I have tried searching a bit, I couldn’t find any specific tutorial. I’m not really sure what to search for, I guess it would be an alpha map of a seamless texture, never mind the snowflakes for now, just the cloth texture with the millions of tiny holes.

Thanks in advance for any help.

This could be done procedurally with band textures, but it’s easy enough with a simple black and white mask. The first image is the bare bones diffuse mixed with transparent using the 512tile texture which I created in photoshop. White gets transparent, black gets diffuse red. You could use a photographed fabric texture if you want, but the holes on that ref image are much larger than what actual fabric would be. The second image is a more complex template for a larger cape in the blend I’ll post. Click on it twice to see full resolution. It has another black and white mask of snowflakes and a basic particle system. White gets the material in the bottom slot of the mix shader, black gets the top. With this method you must unwrap your cape mesh.

Blend on dropbox


packed hdri from sibl archive
snow flakes from google images

Wow, thank you so much. I’m looking at the nodes on the cape file and it’s quite complicated. I’ll be studying that for a while and then I may have a few questions!

Sure thing. The material isn’t that great of a match to the reference. But it’s a jumping off point for experimentation. Feel free to ask any questions.

Keep in mind that the image comes from the top grossing animated film of all time – with teams, cash and computing power devoted to polishing every aspect. By contrast I spent almost a full half hour on it. :wink:

LOL I really appreciate that half hour of your time! I am making some progress with my file, I might post in the WIP section soon.

For sure, WIPs are a great way to get feedback. I’d love to see what you’ve come up with.