Need a more specific LDraw Parts Colour Definition
2014-12-26, 2:14 (This post was last modified: 2014-12-27, 18:49 by Dennes.)
2014-12-26, 2:14 (This post was last modified: 2014-12-27, 18:49 by Dennes.)
Hi LDraw community,
I’m not happy about the material and edge color specification from the LDraws Colour Definition, I have trouble to understand what is meant, I will try to explain my reasons in 2 steps.
Edge Color:
The edge color specify (how the word says) the color from the rendered lines between 2 points, and the color is (in most cases) darker then the maincolor.
But that's not correct, at first such lines called "edges" does not exist in the real world, that what we see as a dark line between 2 parts are shadows, please take a look on the following picture.
farm9.staticflickr.com/8337/8192336942_2d08eddbfb_b.jpg
(25 Dec 2014 at 23:46)
If we take a look on a single part, we see that the edges are brighter and not darker then the maincolor.
To show this you can watch the following pictures (or you go to your bricks and spectate them self, of curse).
davidglennsimmons.com/archive/images/Jack Stone car chassis.jpg
(25 Dec 2014 at 23:56)
lego.brickinstructions.com/05000/5653/003.jpg
(25 Dec 2014 at 23:57)
In both cases it will be wrong...
At the time I don't have a specification for it as solution because such "edge-color" thing does only exist in wireframe mode or similar display techniques but not if we want to render it to a more realistic looking object.
The color between bricks in a brickwall consists of things like the shadow (which consists of the density of an object, reflectivity ...) from a brick, the lights and materials (shaders, roughness) of a brick, I hope you know what I mean.
Maybe it’s better to define a density/clearness/transparency and a reflectivity for a part and not only a color-value because transparent and reflecting parts exist and "edge-color" must not be defined.
Material:
I watched the Visual LDConfig table I’m fine with solid and transparent colors because it gives a hex value that defines the color and a alpha value which defines the transparency but I have ask me things like "what’s the difference between speckle and glitter", "what’s the difference between chrome and metallic" or "what’s the difference between speckle and metallic"...
I know that this means different kinds of materials (shaders and so...) but the differences are not clearly defined so I searched a picture that shows the differences of the materials (the real materials not shaders), the picture can be watched over flickr under this url:
flic.kr/p/eUKtQi
(26 Dec 2014 at 01:05)
so ok... transparent is the same surface like solid with transparency, and chrome, metallic, pearl and milky are additional kinds of surfaces, but speckle defines a pattern with a kind of surface, so it has 2 colors ok, but is it chrome, metallic or pearl ?
Glitter is the same like Transparent with Glitter in it?
And where are the differences (optical not physical) between Rubber and Milky?
If you watch the image above again and take a look at the bionicle mask under the word "Glitter" you can see that this is another kind of surface but not Glitter.
So I am confused now...
My solution or idea for that is to use a maincolor that can be overwritten by pattern which uses a second color for that, every color can be an alpha too.
Than it has to specifying which kind of pattern should be used. For now I know 2 kinds, the first is the Speckle pattern and the second is the chemical looking gradient which Lego uses for some bionicle parts, see pictures below:
media.peeron.com/pics/inv/custpics/x546.1077930325.jpg
(26 Dec 2014 at 02:39)
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090801192607/custombionicle/images/4/4c/Blaze_Dragon.jpg
(26 Dec 2014 at 02:40)
Then it must have a surface (solid, chrome, metallic, pearl or milky) and additional it can be luminat and/or glitter.
If I am wrong, it where be nice if somebody can answer my questions and explain how that should be work.
Greetings
DMI-1407
I’m not happy about the material and edge color specification from the LDraws Colour Definition, I have trouble to understand what is meant, I will try to explain my reasons in 2 steps.
Edge Color:
The edge color specify (how the word says) the color from the rendered lines between 2 points, and the color is (in most cases) darker then the maincolor.
But that's not correct, at first such lines called "edges" does not exist in the real world, that what we see as a dark line between 2 parts are shadows, please take a look on the following picture.
farm9.staticflickr.com/8337/8192336942_2d08eddbfb_b.jpg
(25 Dec 2014 at 23:46)
If we take a look on a single part, we see that the edges are brighter and not darker then the maincolor.
To show this you can watch the following pictures (or you go to your bricks and spectate them self, of curse).
davidglennsimmons.com/archive/images/Jack Stone car chassis.jpg
(25 Dec 2014 at 23:56)
lego.brickinstructions.com/05000/5653/003.jpg
(25 Dec 2014 at 23:57)
In both cases it will be wrong...
- First case we have edge-colors which are darker then the maincolor, so it fits if we have things like brickwalls but not if we have a single brick.
- Second case we have edge-colors which are brighter then the maincolor, so it fits if we have a single brick but not if we have a brickwall.
At the time I don't have a specification for it as solution because such "edge-color" thing does only exist in wireframe mode or similar display techniques but not if we want to render it to a more realistic looking object.
The color between bricks in a brickwall consists of things like the shadow (which consists of the density of an object, reflectivity ...) from a brick, the lights and materials (shaders, roughness) of a brick, I hope you know what I mean.
Maybe it’s better to define a density/clearness/transparency and a reflectivity for a part and not only a color-value because transparent and reflecting parts exist and "edge-color" must not be defined.
Material:
I watched the Visual LDConfig table I’m fine with solid and transparent colors because it gives a hex value that defines the color and a alpha value which defines the transparency but I have ask me things like "what’s the difference between speckle and glitter", "what’s the difference between chrome and metallic" or "what’s the difference between speckle and metallic"...
I know that this means different kinds of materials (shaders and so...) but the differences are not clearly defined so I searched a picture that shows the differences of the materials (the real materials not shaders), the picture can be watched over flickr under this url:
flic.kr/p/eUKtQi
(26 Dec 2014 at 01:05)
so ok... transparent is the same surface like solid with transparency, and chrome, metallic, pearl and milky are additional kinds of surfaces, but speckle defines a pattern with a kind of surface, so it has 2 colors ok, but is it chrome, metallic or pearl ?
Glitter is the same like Transparent with Glitter in it?
And where are the differences (optical not physical) between Rubber and Milky?
If you watch the image above again and take a look at the bionicle mask under the word "Glitter" you can see that this is another kind of surface but not Glitter.
So I am confused now...
My solution or idea for that is to use a maincolor that can be overwritten by pattern which uses a second color for that, every color can be an alpha too.
Than it has to specifying which kind of pattern should be used. For now I know 2 kinds, the first is the Speckle pattern and the second is the chemical looking gradient which Lego uses for some bionicle parts, see pictures below:
media.peeron.com/pics/inv/custpics/x546.1077930325.jpg
(26 Dec 2014 at 02:39)
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090801192607/custombionicle/images/4/4c/Blaze_Dragon.jpg
(26 Dec 2014 at 02:40)
Then it must have a surface (solid, chrome, metallic, pearl or milky) and additional it can be luminat and/or glitter.
If I am wrong, it where be nice if somebody can answer my questions and explain how that should be work.
Greetings
DMI-1407