Texturing Resources?

[imacrabpinch]

Hi everyone. I came to this section of the forum to find as many texturing resources as possible, in hopes to step up my game. I'm looking to learn and improve on texturing techniques.

My current texturing methods involve using blender cycles rendering, substance painter, and photoshop. I use zbrush as well for high to low poly workflows.

Most of all, I find myself struggling with texturing realistic denim. I feel like if I could learn how to texture perfect seams like some of these stores, I would be on a good path. I can get the mesh looking good, but I'm just lacking that IT factor that I find from some of the big stores. The use of sculpting stitches doesn't seem to do it and substance painter also seems s little off. Maybe I'm missing some photoshop technique? Of course, when I attempt to reach out to these other creators they are either tight lipped, silent, or simply don't know because of outsourcing.

Any recommend resources I could read or watch up on? Don't be shy, as I would literally read an entire stack of books if it means improvement. Thank you and its very much appreciated.

[Penny Patton]

I've been meaning to knock out a basic texturing tutorial, mainly demonstrating good habits in texturing for SL and why they're important.

To put it simply;

• Keep texture use as low as possible while achieving the desired effect. In other words, don't use five 1024x1024 textures when using a single 512x512 will look pretty much the same unless you zoom in closer than anyone will. Also, don't use multiple slightly different textures when using a single texture will look more or less the same.
• Don't use wasteful textures that are mostly memory hogging empty space. Set up your UV maps so as much of the texture as possible is used. If you have a dozen textures for your model, each using a small amount of the overall canvas, combine them into a single texture, using all of that empty space.
• Remember, from a practical standpoint there is very little difference between SL and a videogame when it comes to how rendering content works. And in SL you don't have the benefit of a single art team working together to keep resource use in line, so it's good to compare SL content to art assets from games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 (the base games, not the framerate killing 4k texture mods) in terms of how you should be texturing.

 Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but these tips are important because every computer has a limited amount of memory for textures. That same memory is shared with other features, like shadow maps. What's more, SL won't even use all of your texture memory properly. Excessive texture use has become one of SL's more prominent performance issues.

[imacrabpinch]

On 11/18/2018 at 1:24 AM, Penny Patton said:

I've been meaning to knock out a basic texturing tutorial, mainly demonstrating good habits in texturing for SL and why they're important.

To put it simply;

• Keep texture use as low as possible while achieving the desired effect. In other words, don't use five 1024x1024 textures when using a single 512x512 will look pretty much the same unless you zoom in closer than anyone will. Also, don't use multiple slightly different textures when using a single texture will look more or less the same.
• Don't use wasteful textures that are mostly memory hogging empty space. Set up your UV maps so as much of the texture as possible is used. If you have a dozen textures for your model, each using a small amount of the overall canvas, combine them into a single texture, using all of that empty space.
• Remember, from a practical standpoint there is very little difference between SL and a videogame when it comes to how rendering content works. And in SL you don't have the benefit of a single art team working together to keep resource use in line, so it's good to compare SL content to art assets from games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 (the base games, not the framerate killing 4k texture mods) in terms of how you should be texturing.

 Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but these tips are important because every computer has a limited amount of memory for textures. That same memory is shared with other features, like shadow maps. What's more, SL won't even use all of your texture memory properly. Excessive texture use has become one of SL's more prominent performance issues.

Thanks for the reply :D

I was looking more so for actual techniques and methods, as I'm already aware of optimization. However, I suppose digging up more info about Skyrim and Fallout couldn't hurt. Since my original post, I've been increasing my knowledge and changing up my workflow considerably - with just a couple little things making a visual difference. Only so many hours in a day, and so much to learn - I just wish there was more content available that was specific to the sl workflow.

 

[imacrabpinch]

Can anyone else contribute to this? It is a second life texturing forum, and I asked a pretty basic question on texturing. I understand many of you are very into optimization, but I didn't ask about optimization. I know sometimes they go hand in hand, but that would be another post.

If you are reading this, what do you make, and what is your texturing workflow? Everyone is different, and that is fine, but I'm just wondering what an average workflow would be from someone who creates decent looking items. For example, one thing I learned that has helped me a lot, is that I can just take screenshots of substance painter instead of baking it all out. - what a time saver. Any other tips, or experience, or anything? Please.

Thank you!

[arton Rotaru]

In the first issue of the Vertex magazin is a brief breakdown of texturing a jeans.
https://gumroad.com/l/GAAOs

And this is a basic jeans tutorial from a SL creator.
https://indidesigns.wordpress.com/photoshop-basicstutorials/jeans-texture-seams-tutorial/

Those might give some hints, or ideas of how to proceed.

[imacrabpinch]

On 11/27/2018 at 10:35 AM, arton Rotaru said:

In the first issue of the Vertex magazin is a brief breakdown of texturing a jeans.
https://gumroad.com/l/GAAOs

And this is a basic jeans tutorial from a SL creator.
https://indidesigns.wordpress.com/photoshop-basicstutorials/jeans-texture-seams-tutorial/

Those might give some hints, or ideas of how to proceed.

Thank you for this. Helps. Thank you kind stranger. That magazine/book - golden. I'll read it all. The seam texturing - very useful.

Anyone else care to share their (general) texturing workflows or leave a clue?

Edited December 4, 2018 by imacrabpinch