Within the world of architecture and urbanism, the creation of high-performance realistic materials provides greater credibility to your work.
Currently, on the market, there are several rendering software that will allow the creation of architectural projects that are closer to real life. An example of this is Lumion, whose latest version (Lumion 11) allows the use of displacement maps, normal maps, albedo, diffuse and, finally, color.
In this article, we will cover in a very didactic way, how to create realistic materials using Lumion. So, happy reading!
Lumion's texture maps are a way to create realistic materials
As said before, the latest version of the program uses some texture maps to create more realistic designs. But what are texture maps anyway?
Within computer graphics, texture maps are defined as images that map surfaces of three-dimensional objects and, in addition, that are able to control some characteristics of these materials, such as color and brightness.
Below we will talk a little about some types of texture maps.
displacement map
It is a type of map that creates a deformity in the 3D image based on the texture used in that material. Generally, displacement map is used on some surfaces like rocks and soil.
normal map
In this map it is possible to add some features on the surface, such as: scratches, wrinkles, etc.
albedo map
Using the albedo map on your 3D model you will have an image texture with no shadows or highlights. By using this type of map in the right way, then you can create more realism for your project, eliminating excess shadows that could confuse your image.
map merge
In Lumion it is still possible to merge two maps: the normal map and the roughness map.
The roughness map is a type of image texture that has a grayscale color scale and controls micro-irregularities in surfaces. These irregularities are responsible for making the light rays, which fall on the object, be reflected in different directions.
To merge these two maps, it is necessary to follow some steps:
- It is essential that you have your Adobe Photoshop open, ok? In it you will open the normal and roughness maps;
- Then, being very careful not to lose any image information, increase the roughness contrast to the maximum;
- Go to the “channels” tab and create an alpha channel;
- Once this is done, copy the roughness map to the alpha channel of the normal map;
- Ready! Now just save the file using the TGA extension. (targa)
How to create realistic materials in Lumion?
In the previous topics, we looked back at the concepts of texture maps and their types, as well as how to merge them. Mastering this knowledge is very important in the creation of realistic materials, using rendering software such as Lumion, because it is by knowing these maps, their functionalities and applications that one can obtain architectural and urban projects closer to real life.
Therefore, when creating your projects using SketchUp, making adjustments and creations in Adobe Photoshop and rendering in Lumion, always pay attention to the characteristics of the surfaces you are using and which texture maps would fit perfectly in your 3D model.
Adjusting the lightness, saturation, reflectivity, texture and shading will make all the difference in the quality of your project.
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