Charles Krause wrote:

> >
> >Would it be possible to layer or map the wood and lead textures, then apply
> it
> >as a  _planar_ with some turbulence?
> >really quick example:
> > texture {
> >   planar
> >   turbulence 0.099
> >   texture_map {
> >      [0.6 Wood_texture ]
> >      [1.0 Lead_texture   ]
> >    }
> >}
>
> Hmmm - you mean something like a gradient map?
> Above a certain level it's paint, below a certain level it's wood, and then
> put a bit of
> turbulence in it, so there is a little paint in the wood area, and a little
> wood in the paint area?

No, not a gradient but planar, and not for the paint, just for the tip. The same
method you are using to define the graphite of the pencil (it's lead) remains
the same only you are including two textures stacked on top of eachother and
with some turbulence which cause the two to interact with eachother.

>
>
> This would work for ROUND pencils, where the dividing line is a circle
> contained in a plane, but what about the hex pencils? the dividing line is a
> complex shape.

The above could work for any shape because you are only adjusting the texturing
for the tip which is round ( or conical ) for all pencils.

> It also occurred to me that for the most part, your camera is not going to
> be doing a zoom in on the sharpened point :) If it's a desk scene, pencils
> might just be decor. Maybe it's more trouble than it's worth to fix this? I
> don't know.

(*hee hee*) You're right  ;-]   --  sometimes though it's the small details that
can lead to much larger solutions. This apple I'm working on; Apples are red or
green - we all know that and that is fine - until you try to render one. It
doesn't look right and you wonder why -- apples are red, my apple is red - yet
it looks nothing like an apple. An apple, in fact, is red and/or green and is
the result of several layers of hundreds of shades <rgb&f&t madness - I tell
you>. Realizing this I've struggled to emmulate as well as possible the mapping
and layering of these shades. Am I being completely anal about this pursuit?
Yes, very much so - but also, my scenes have improved off the scale as a result
of a knew, improved and far more impressive understanding of texture, pigments,
normals and interactions. Will I ever finish the apple? I doubt it, it is for me
my Moby Dick - but thanks to it I am a better captain.

>
>
> A CSG solution that I might tinker with, is subtracting a number of small
> diameter, short cylinders, whose long axis is aligned with the side of the
> shear_cone and randomly distributed around the perimeter of the pencil.
> Alternatively, small, unevenly scaled spheres might work better. This would
> approximate 'dings and dent' along that border. Again - the hex pencil is a
> much tougher problem.

that is a very good idea for a solution and holds potential for future affects.


KB-

Post a reply to this message