How to Texture With Photo Reference

Moving water is a favorite photo to use for 3-D texture.

Getting texture from photos is popular when creating 3-D objects. The 3-D software creates objects that are too clean and neat, and fine artists such as the 3-D artist will bring in textures to create bumps, highlights and dirt. The photo reference is first brought into a graphic program to tweak. After it is adjusted, the image is then imported into the 3-D software to apply to an object. The better the texture is, the more realistic the 3-D object looks.

Instructions

1. Open a software graphic program such as Gimp, Photoshop or Inkscape.

2. Locate an image to use for the texture and then import it into the graphic program. Artists will either search the Web or take pictures from around their environment. Pictures of sidewalks, bricks, leaves, moving water and glass are just a few ideas.

3. Adjust the image by removing the color in the graphic program's color adjustment level. The image should be a grayscale. Anything that is white will be transparent, and anything that is black will not have any transparency; gray is in the middle. For example, if the image is a weave pattern, a texture weave pattern will appear on the 3-D object with darker lines receding.

4. Experiment by applying different blends, such as an opacity or overlay effect if desired.

5. Import the texture into your favorite 3-D program and apply it to the 3-D object.

References

• "Digital Lighting and Rendering"; Jeremy Birm; 2000
• "Digital Texturing and Painting"; Owen Demers; 2001

Resources

• Gimp: Downloads
• Adobe: Products
• Inkscape