Example of a texture you could use in a game.
It would be a considerable understatement to say that technology has revolutionized gaming. Game graphics are a perfect illustration of this maxim. Within a single generation, games graphics have evolved from tiny pixelized game elements to full-blown 3D, even on devices as simple as cellular phones. One of the new challenges to game designers is to create realistic 3D objects. While a good model is a important start, even more vital is creating textures that flesh out your model and look true to life. With some effort, you can create textures to accent any model.
Instructions
Acquiring Textures
1. Travel to a location where you can find varied terrain and surfaces that might be found in your game. For woodland textures, a city park may suffice, but for specialty textures such as chrome, rust, or brickwork, you may have to scout out places such as scrapyards or demolition sites.
2. Photograph items and areas that contain a texture you could use. Make sure that your subjects are well lit without being overly saturated. Also critical is to take pictures as close to the item as you can and still maintain focus. Always line up the shot so you view the subject face-on. If the target has multiple and varying faces, you will need to take photos of each one, face-on.
3. Move the photographs from your camera to your computer with the digital transfer cable. Place them in a folder for easy reference.
Cleanup
4. Load your photos in Adobe Photoshop.
5. Click on the rectangular marquee and select the region you want to keep.
6. Click on the Image tab, then select "Crop" from the menu. This will remove the extraneous parts of the photo, leaving only those that contain the texture you will use.
7. Type CTRL+L and adjust the image levels. A dialog box will pop up with sliders to allow you to tweak the various levels. If the image is too bright or dark overall, use the default RGB selection and slide the left-most or right-most slider bar.
8. Adjust the channels by color if needed. If the picture contains too much or too little of just one of the colors (such as a texture that appears saturated with red), select Red, Green, or Blue in the "Channels" drop-down selector at the top of the box, then adjust the left or right-most slider bars until the image reaches the desired look.
9. Left-click on the toolbar for burn and dodge tools, hold the button down until the drop-down menu appears and click again on the tool you need. Make sure to use a brush large enough to cover the areas you need to adjust but not so large as to affect other areas. Keep the exposure level low (below 20 percent). Use the dodge tool to lighten areas that are too dark, and the burn tool for areas that are too bright. You should apply the tool sparingly in small strokes.
Seamless Texture Formatting
10. Type ALT+CTRL+C and set a canvas size that is equal in height and width. You will crop some of the image, so make sure to choose the section that contains the best parts of your texture. You can do so by clicking on the region tool that pops up with the canvas-size dialog and picking the part you want to keep.
11. Select the Filter tab and Select "Other" and then "Offset." The offset tool will move the image content in relation to its original location, wrapping edges as you do. Adjust the offset sliders until you relocate the edges of the image to the center of the window. This will create visible seams that need to be removed.
12. Click on the Clone Stamp Tool and select a region in the picture that is above the seams in the center. ALT+Click on the area you want to copy.
13. Release the ALT key and then paint with your clone brush along the middle seams. Ensure you are using a brush size that covers the offensive seam without looking overly processed. Repeat the process until the horizontal seams are gone.
14. Hold down the ALT key and click on a seam-free area to the left of the vertical seam. Use the clone brush to paint horizontal strokes over the seam until it is gone.
Testing Your Work
15. Load your 3D modeling software.
16. Add a simplified model to your rendering pane that is similar to the final shape of your complex model. This sounds complex, but is really simple. Most packages have a one-click method to add primitive shapes. Pick a sphere, cube, cylinder, cone or torus shape that best matches the overall shape of the item you are going to model. You could map a wall, for example, on a cube and approximate the final result.
17.Load your seamless texture and apply it to the surface of your primitive.
18. Rotate the model with the texture applied and preview it through all three dimensions, scanning for unrealistic or awkward areas. If there are any trouble spots, jot them down so you can repair them in Photoshop as needed.
Tags: areas that, Load your, clone brush, contain texture, right-most slider