Specular vs. Gloss maps in cycles. What's the difference, and how to apply?

Support Materials and Textures
1

So as I understand traditional texturing, you have a diffuse, normal, specular and gloss map. I vaguely understand the difference between specular and gloss maps, but I have no idea how these apply to nodes in cycles, or if they even do.

In cycles with a diffuse + glossy shader you have the following three things:

  • Factor on the mix shader for diffuse/glossy
  • Color for the glossy shader
  • Roughness for the glossy shader

Of these three things, do any of them correlate to what are traditionally called specular or gloss maps? Am I going about thinking of this in entirely the wrong way?

2

It depends on what kind of look you’re going for, if the method you decide to use gives you the look you want then you’re doing it correctly.
If you want to go the PBR route then you’re going to have to do a lot of reading to figure out what you should and shouldn’t do.