The next issue, I would like to focus on is to create a wood texture that is not too high res, is public domain and can therefore be used freely. I was thinking of creating the final result with Gimp with different layers, which can be turned on/off to create different images. There are some issues I would like to have in the texture:
Changeable wood color
Creases and cracks
Plank ending
Seamless version
Normal map
Bump map
Certainly there are millions of ways to achieve that. I would like to have your input before I get to work:
Are there other important features that you would like to have in such a texture image?
How would you go about making such a texture?
I’m espessially interessted in hearing your approach on “completely do it with Gimp” vs. “modeling in Blender, render and fine tune in Gimp”, and in the second case what are the important points (render passes, which are needed, …). Mind you never done anything with render passes or baking something (other than in my oven).
With BI you can do a quite nice procedural texture that looks like fine wood - good for tables and other furniture. My main aim is go get something that looks like it was exposed to sun and rain and is therefore ripped open and torn, as you can see on beams (not only outdoor). It might be an idea to model the overall contours in blender and then applying such an image texture the get the right feel.
Make layer above b/w wood grain, set it to Multiply, fill with base color for wood.
Make another Multiply layer above this and paint with soft big round brush different tones to my liking.
Creases and cracks
Not for tileable texture. Could be drawn after on baked (you’ll get to blender cooking too, i hope :)) texture if not for closeups. Model what’s close.
Plank ending
Gimp’s Curve Bend used on your texture will do imho
and bent
Seamless version
When generate base for wood, use option Tileable ( will talk later) or use Blender’s texture paint Clone brush - it’s great for that.
Normal map
Gimp has it as a plugin filter, might have to search Gimp’s Plugin Registry.
Make new layer from visible, apply normalmap filter, save layer as file.
Bump map
That would be b/w base layer put in separate texture file, could use diffuse texture for that too.
Quick way to generate wood grain is - fill layer with generated any kind of b/w noise and apply Tileable Blur filter set to maximum, horizontal only.
Then play around with i-warp’s Swirl set on very low Deform amount values, then Grow with solid Deform radius.
Here i’ts probably too much for tileable texture, you’ll need to stretch texture while applying in blender:
