Hugo Asm wrote:

 > I think (without having a sample of
 > gold nearby) that real gold has a higher diffuse value and is less
 > reflective, so it keeps more of it's own yellow color... Anyone please
 > correct me if I'm wrong.

You're correct, but be careful not to make it too yellow. Gold tends to 
be more of a dull brownish-yellow than a bright yellow; if the pigment 
has too much saturation it will look fake.

One of these days I oughta whip up some generic metals and post them as 
an include file. I've had some success making credible metal textures, 
and the old metal.inc (or whatever it's called) is a bit outdated.

> Yes, imperfections are important. There are some imperfections in the model,
> as you can see in the attached image. What probably can't be seen in the
> attached image, are all the round edges. But there are no perfectly sharp
> edges on these models. In concert with specular reflection this increases
> realism and helps to define an objects shape. It's possible though, that I
> went a little overboard with the soft edges, so the screws look melted.

It's not just the soft edges, but the degree to which the screws are 
beaten up. If you were going for old, damaged screws, I would have 
expected sharper imperfections.. stripping, scratches, maybe a little 
pounding. And the finish would have been duller and maybe a bit dirty or 
tarnished. If you were going for new screws (as I assume), I would have 
make them less imperfect; real screws are usually pretty uniform, 
without all the little dents you've given them here. Tiny nicks and 
scratches or very subtle bumps (i.e. near-microscopic unevenness) would 
probably be more realistic. Subtle variations in texture might also be 
appropriate if, for instance, the screws were unevenly coated with 
something (perhaps to prevent corrosion?).

-Xplo

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