How do I do this (see picture)

Support Materials and Textures
#1

Hopefully this is a simple question.

I am completly new to Blender and 3D programs in general.
Q: What do I need in my scene for it to render like in this example:

http://www.startechcommunications.com/banner.jpg

right now I have just an empty blender scene with 3 mesh objects in it which I made.
I have one lamp(I have tried lamp/sun/spot with similar outcomes) shining on them, and I followed a tutorial on makign a chrome effect and it is just not workign for me, here is how it comes out when I render:

http://www.startechcommunications.com/stars.jpg

I know I am obviously missing something, what do I need to add as far as lighting or background images or something?(how did they get the reflected objects in each other object. and how did they get what looks like a dirt ground and a sky with clouds in there ?

Thanks in advance for any input/help.

Ryan

#2

The background was all achieved with a skybox: >>link<<.
As for reflectivity, you need to use reflections: >>click<<
Hope those links help, nice modelling by the way:D

#3

Wow ok i see now, I just added some checkered floor and walls and that helped 110% … I guess since it didnt have anything to reflect it was so dull looking. and the reflection into the other objects must just be camera angle problems.

Thanks for the help, and thanks for saying my models look good … cause they are the first thing I ever made, and i know they realy suck, but its still encouraging lol :slight_smile:

#4

Actually, the models–while simple–do not suck. They’re pretty well done for a reasonably complex shape. If you do think they’re bad, just say ‘at least they’re not spheres and a monkey head’.

#5

I agree with BlackBoe and Animatinator, the models look good. And that’s probably due to the fact that they actually look good.

#6

Thank you :slight_smile:
Yeah I guess your right, I read yesterday that aparently the big joke is that everyone does a chrome sphere as thier first render. At least its not a chrome sphere :slight_smile:

I am still having alot of trouble with the envmap though.
I got the envmap image, it looks like in the tutorial, with the 6 different square pictures in one picture now. … in jpg format. then it doesn’t realy tell you what to do with it.

I made the assumtion that you create a large cube to surround your whole scene and then apply the envmap to that as an envmap texture. So thats what I did. but it just rendered as a black screen , even with camera and lights and objects inside the cube.

What am I missing?

#7

Try flipping your normals on the cube. If they are pointing outside then that’s where all of the light goes…outside the cube which does you no good. If they are pointing inside the cube then they will reflect the light inwardly. Editmode, select all faces, W key > Flip Normals.

#8

Well, environment mapping is just a fake. So it’s a bit difficult to setup. Since you have reflecting objects with raytracing, you can simply use a world texture and everything else is automatic.
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24038&highlight=skymaps

#9

Do you mean under the texture button area, I set a world texture to the image (panoramic image?)? The more I dig into this, the more options I find, and the more confused I get. Like for example I started looking at different EnvMap pictures I found on various sites; some are panoramic rectangles, some are spheres looking up at just the sky, some are spheres looking sideways with the sky on top and ground on the botom, some are 6 seperate images. etc etc etc. Its confusing ! I have yet to get a decent render that looks like anythign resembling metal- let alone the environmental reflections.
grrrr. :frowning:
help. please !

#10

If you haven’t downloaded the doccumentation you can get it here:

http://www.blender.org/cms/Documentation.628.0.html

Search them for environment mapping and it will all become clear.
It’s not too difficut to set up, but as SoylentGreen sugested I would just use the raymirror effect. It’s damn near a one click operation

#11

The type of mapping depends on the texture.

Get yourself one of the angular maps. Open the world buttons,

  1. Preview Panel->Real
  2. Texture and Input->AngMap
  3. Map To->Hori

The Skymaps are mapped Real, Sphere and Hori.

#12

Thanks Soylent thats the type of blatently simple answer I was looking for hehe!

#13

Here is the gaff tho, Can I render the scene without rendering the background, but still keep the reflections of the background on my objects? !?