Modelling curbs for rendering... texturing? Geometry?

andybot · 4 Jul 2015, 20:00

I've used a texture with the divisions. Thrupaint did mapping OK. Don't know why it wouldn't work, given the geometry is easy to make regular with quads.

+1 for Thrupaint! If it's quads, you can also use Qaudface Tools to map the UV coords.

pbacot · 4 Jul 2015, 21:05

Nice work, Roland!

roland joseph · 4 Jul 2015, 21:57

Thanks pbacot!

Frederik · 5 Jul 2015, 07:16

Thanks a lot for the info, Roland!
I really enjoy watching your style...!

roland joseph · 5 Jul 2015, 11:00

Thanks Fredrick I appreciate your comment!

AcesHigh · 5 Jul 2015, 14:25

@roland joseph said:

@unknownuser said:

more than that! The dirt somehow also goes over the asphalt! Awesome.

I start with the google image. I clean it all up as you suggest but then I enlarge it to anywhere from 8000pixels sq. to 15000 sq. pixels so that I can paint-in the detail which includes dirt, grass, curbs, sidewalks...etc. Often I just saturate or accentuate the features that are alrerady there. Grass is never uniform so I add a few different shades or I simple saturate the various shades provided by Google. I then import the image into my engine cause it can handle images at that size. I might also cut out a section covered by the image and ad mesh and a separate image or paint...

thanks, very interesting. However, I wonder if I could use this method, because unfortunatelly, the areas I usually work with have VERY LOW resolution at GoogleEarth/GoogleMaps.

are you able to work with this kind of imagery or is it too low res for your method?
https://goo.gl/maps/IUpcF

@unknownuser said:

i.e.curbs sidewalks, shoulders...etc to get extreme detail. You can achieve a very realistic curb, sidewalk result with Round-Corner.

@unknownuser said:

By the way, you should be cutting the curbs/sidewalks/shoulders and medians right into the terrain with tools on surface and then pop them out to height with "joint pushpull" or "normal pushpull".

which is the method I usually use. As I said, the problem is that the curbs then must be a continuous concrete piece (like in the images you showed). You paint a seamless concrete texture. But there are no division between concrete curb pieces, which is how usually they are done here.

it serves well, as you picture shows, but for extra photo realism, the divisions between curb pieces is what I want... and a texture can´t be properly mapped with SketchUV or Thrupaint in a "joint push-pulled terrain"

pbacot · 6 Jul 2015, 01:26

I've used follow me to run the sidewalk curb and gutter around.

roland joseph · 6 Jul 2015, 05:45

@unknownuser said:

the divisions between curb pieces

I don't know what you mean I guess. The curbs that exist now are identical to the curbs you see in my drawing. Maybe if you showed me a picture.

deaneau · 6 Jul 2015, 11:30

@ roland joseph

how do you have make your pictures? with photoshop or inside of sketchup.

Thank You

AcesHigh · 6 Jul 2015, 16:47

@roland joseph said:

@unknownuser said:

the divisions between curb pieces

I don't know what you mean I guess. The curbs that exist now are identical to the curbs you see in my drawing. Maybe if you showed me a picture.

here, curb pieces... and the divisions between the pieces, which are visible

AcesHigh · 6 Jul 2015, 16:54

in THIS model I was able to run SketchUV to texture the curb. However, for some reason, SketchUV fails me for this task 90% of the times.

rendered

I don´t know why SketchUV usually fails on me for Tube Mapping.

I have this curb which to me seems to be made purely of Quads, and still I get an error message!

For the same curb, ThruPaint is ALSO failing me... (edit... and now I solved it... it was not connecting textures correctly between faces because it was a tube... I was able to delete all bottom faces, and then it got it correctly)

roland joseph · 7 Jul 2015, 06:57

OK...that's what I had in mind although in my local area we don't have the breaks. I don't know what the concrete recipe is but they don't need the crack protection which I guess the breaks are for. We have long continues ribbons. Your method is sound and looks good.

roland joseph · 7 Jul 2015, 07:10

@unknownuser said:

are you able to work with this kind of imagery or is it too low res for your method?

This is fine. Once you turn off all the unnecessary masking (roads etc) in Google. First enlarge it, then saturate it, then run a couple of "sharpen" passes. It would be suitable for a very effective near real image at that point. If you can manage an image at about 6-8000 pixels you can get down and paint with a line tool. You don't color over completely. Instead set the opacity down to about 50%. Sample the color of the existing pavement and use it to color over the streets. This creates sharper edges. In the areas where you want extreme detail as in your images you have to create mesh to work with just as you have.
I think the methods you are using are great.

AcesHigh · 7 Jul 2015, 12:42

@roland joseph said:

I think the methods you are using are great.

thanks... maybe I should move forward to asking questions at the SketchUV and Thrupaint threads... I guess my method is good but my problem is how to properly use those plugins then.

ps: just to be sure, the 4 four pics of curbs are PHOTOS I found at Google, not ultra realistic renders by me

roland joseph · 7 Jul 2015, 12:53

@unknownuser said:

maybe I should move forward to asking questions at the SketchUV and Thrupaint threads

Yes, I agree, this is something I will do as well.

....and no I wasn't fooled by the images. If I thought they were renderings I would be too jealous to talk to you. ....

AcesHigh · 7 Jul 2015, 13:54

@roland joseph said:

@unknownuser said:

maybe I should move forward to asking questions at the SketchUV and Thrupaint threads

Yes, I agree, this is something I will do as well.

....and no I wasn't fooled by the images. If I thought they were renderings I would be too jealous to talk to you. ....

I know the feeling

AcesHigh · 7 Jul 2015, 16:32

Hi Roland, tried to PM you but it´s disabled. I really liked your asphalt textures used in these images

@roland joseph said:

I did find a few near photo real.

is that something you can and would share, or can I find it somewhere?

Frederik · 7 Jul 2015, 18:07

Please check these free textures... They're all made seamless...
There's a couple of nice asphalts...
http://kirkdunne.com/blog/?cat=15

If the above resource is not enough, I suggest you take a look at Allegorithmic ...
There will soon be a plugin available for Thea Render...
See this thread at the Thea Render forum: http://thearender.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17%26amp;p=128101#p128085

roland joseph · 7 Jul 2015, 20:00

AcesHigh here is a link to the exact texture and a normal...
http://ibuildmodels.com/ace.html

@Fredrick...the Substance converter looks amazing...thanks!

Frederik · 8 Jul 2015, 05:50

@roland joseph said:

@Fredrick...the Substance converter looks amazing...thanks!

You're welcome...
Indeed it looks amazing... Can't wait to get my hand on it...