Texturing Techniques
This eBook series will take as its starting point a simple 3D scene with a limited number of objects, and a low-to-intermediate amount of geometry, and show how, from a library of photos, custom textures can be created in Photoshop. All of the reference images will be taken from 3DTotal’s Total Textures collections and will form the foundation of the exercise. We will show how numerous images can be combined and fused into unique templates, and be used to describe a variety of materials and create the illusion of detail and volume, as opposed to using actual geometry.

Chapter 1
This chapter will look at building up the base layers and the importance of color correction, and will move onto the value of Layer Styles and the ways in which these can be used to provide the illusion of volume. Blending modes will also be touched upon, and how these help to build up a number of semi-transparent layers with a rich textural depth and level of detail.

Chapter 2
The second installment will look at the value of bump and specular maps, and also show how “overlay” maps can be used to help disguise problems associated with tiling textures.

Chapter 3
The third and final chapter will focus on the business of aging the scene by applying dirt and grime. We shall look at the value of dirt maps and how these are used directly on textures, as well as acting as masks.

Tutorial By: Richard Tilbury