[BlackPool]

Does anyone know of a good source of information that explains the what and why of reflections looking the way they do on different forms? It would really help me with this painting I'm working on.

[pixualize]

I don't actually own this but I looked through it a long time ago and remember seeing a section on chrome stuff in there. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0891347577/qid=992849943/sr=1-27 /ref=sc_b_27/107-5036239-0306101

I had a look through my library and found a few examples of how to simulate relections but they didn't go into very much detail on reflection "theory".



Not that I'm the "chrome master" or anything - here are my observations.

Reflections on a curved surface will follow the shape of the form. This is delineated by the reflected horizon line. You can simulate looking "up" or "down" at an object by inverting the shape of the curve.

The gradients will move from darkest to lightest starting at the top of the "sky color" and gradually fade to a lighter color just before meeting the horizon. Likewise, the horizon will be darker and gradually fade as it continues around the bottom curve.

Even in outerspace scenes this rule is followed in most art because the eye has become so ccustomed to it. For gold type reflections, warm colors can be substituted.

Since it is a reflection you are simulating picture looking at your surroundings like they are distorted through a fisheye camera lens. Water and transparent refraction works a little differently. What you'll want to include are colors from your surroundings and the sharper the reflected horizon line, the harder the surface will appear.

I hope this rambling has helped at all....

And I see you're still awake at 3 am too!

[ June 18, 2001: Message edited by: pixualize ]

[n8]

if i recall correctly...spooge had some info on the stuff on his site www.goodbrush.com i think?

[Frost]

(I should really complete that tut I was making on the subject)

[faustgfx]

what frost said.. wait, i forgot, everything's gone.

[BlackPool]

Hey, thank you all for replying.

Pixualize: Thanks for the heads up on the book, I will be sure to check it out. And yeah, I have made similar observations my self.

n8: I couldn't find anything on Spooge's site about this. But that doesn't mean that it's not there and I just missed it. I have a bad habit of doing that when I look for things

Frost: Yeah, you should, I'm sure it would help a lot of people.

Faust: What?

I think what I am really looking for is some kind of scientific documentation on reflections and why they apear to us like they do on various surfaces. Like what is the surface actually doing to the light rays that makes the perspective in the reflected image so askewed the way it is on (insert surface form here). Anyone happen to read anything like that?

[BlackPool]

Yeah, I think both of those links will help. Thanks a lot guys.

[Frost]

There was a talk at this year's GDC about that. If I'm not mistaken, it was by someone at Presto who hangs around on this forum that gave the talk (not Ron)... it's in the proceeding's manual, but, it would be wrong for me to repost that directly.

In the meantime, here's a link which I find explains it well enough: http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/metal2/Reflective2.htm

[waylon]

This might help. I learned a lot about reflections in tutorials 17 and 18.
http://www.neilblevins.com/cg_education/cg_education.htm

It doesn't tell you how light reflections off of a sphere vs a cylinder, but it's very usefull nonetheless.

[Chapel]

Great link Frost.