My third 3D modeling project. Need help on texturing.

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Hello,

I am an aspiring 3D modeler and I hope this is the right section for my post and I hope my noobishness won’t be offputting.

Due to the fact that I don’t have 10 posts yet, I am unable to upload the .blend file or any screenshots so if you are interested in helping me then please send a private message.

I started 3D modeling a couple of weeks ago when I discovered Blender Guru’s fantastic donut and anvil series. I was really happy with my results and decided I should make my own model, this time without a tutorial. I thought a sword would be an interesting project so I started modeling a scottish claymore. I have been hammering at this model for about 9 days (I am still a newbiew).

It is fully modeled and textured but it is missing that final “oomph”. Although Blender Guru’s videos were extremely informative, I thought the part where he added the finishing touches such as scratches was a bit rushed, understandable considering the length of the series so I although I consider my results on the anvil to be very satisfying, I don’t feel like I really learned what was happening and applied those concepts mechanically. I still find the more advanced concepts of the node editor to be very intimidating. I mean I know how to add a texture, displacement and normal map but that is about it for now.

Even so, I am not sure what kind of detailing to add on the sword. I mean an anvil is made to be hammered all day and you don’t have to care very much for it but a sword is a different matter, even if it is a very old heirloom. I keep fearing that I will overdo the detailing and scratches.

What kind of scratches should I add? Can you recommend some good scratch and grunge brushes? What about other detailing?

As mentioned before, if you want to help me then send a PM.

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that was a long intro for a simple question…

well learning the node editor is critical for texturing, so i would recomend playing with it until you feel comfortable. try to do some simple stuff like texturing a wall, etc, and when you want to take it a step further, try to generate a texture.


take this as inspiration, i made that nearly 3 years ago without any resources, in fact, i didnt even have internet at the time :stuck_out_tongue:

making that REALLY made me understand how the node editor worked, and making that also gave me the fundamental understanding on how to “generate” textures in general, so when i got into Substance Designer (a program dedicated to making materials) i had a massive benefit as i already knew how it worked.

secondly, what andrew price did, id say is a “simple” way of creating scratches, a more relevant workflow for you would be to create them yourself. do some research on how to “paint” scratches in blender, cause a sword is a lot more delicate than an anvil.

same with rust, instead of adding a finnished rust texture, add a texture that is COMPLETELY rusty, such as this:
https://www.google.no/search?q=rust+texture&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUi_ujxOPXAhVnb5oKHZkrCPYQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=970#imgrc=MXSsZqeonMincM:

and then use a black and white image that you yourself paint on to the model to determin where you want the rust to be.

same idea if you want to add blood, dust, dirt…etc. these things can be put in layers using the node editor.

if you find yourself struggling to find tutorials on this, or if you struggle to execute it, feel free to send me the model through dropbox, onedrive, or any other file sharing medias, and i will make a video for you showing you how to set this up.

also, welcome to the community! always fun to be someones first reply :wink: