| TG Groovey |
| TIPS |
| 1. Moire Patterns Probably the most common problem you’ll run into with this shader are moire interference patterns. These will be caused when the grooves become too small and too close together to render fully (that is, for each groove to show up distinctly and separately) in your output image. This will be dependent on the size of your output image, the number of grooves, the type of grooves, etc. You’re most likely to have this problem when using the shader to get anisotropic or rough surface or blurry reflection effects, when you want the individual grooves to be invisible and too small to be seen separately. Solutions to removing the moire pattern are not always easy to find, but here are some things to try. First, ensure you test using the final render size for the image, so you get an accurate idea of the final result. Next, try a higher anti-aliasing setting, as this renders to a larger image and samples down, which may reduce the effect (alternatively, try rendering to a larger image size, and resizing the render in an external image package - sometimes this gives even better results than using trueSpace’s in-built anti-aliasing). Next, try introducing some noise in the shader, using its own Noise Settings. This can sometimes break up the groove patterns just enough to reduce or remove the moire effect. Adjusting the Groove Frequency and Groove Frequency (thousands) parameters can help also, as sometimes different variations here will reduce the moire effect while still keeping the look you are after for the material. It is often possible to have the grooves only just too small to be seen by careful adjustment of the Groove Frequency, which can give the effect you are looking for, breaking up a surface without it seeming to be covered in grooves or stripes. You might also want to try adding another layer in the shader, and using another displacement, balancing between keeping the effects of TG Groovey Displace visible and reducing the moire pattern look. Finally, sometimes it is possible to render two versions of the same image, with different Groove Frequency settings, and then merge these in an external art package - on occasion, the different moire patterns may help cancel out (although be warned, it is possible that the two will actually create even more interference!). |
| 2. Layering This can be a useful shader to layer with other displacements, to add in some roughness or even a machined look to a surface. Out of interest, you might want to use the same TG Groovey Displace settings on two layers, one with horizontal stripes, the other with vertical stripes! |
| 3. Using the ShaderLab 2 Mapping Options Altering the ShaderLab 2 mapping (UV / Object / World) will alter the way the grooves are calculated, affecting both direction and frequency (and also spacing, as UV based stripes may vary in thickness compared to Object or World co-ordinates). Changing the mapping will also affect the Noise calculations. |
| TG Groovey Intro |
| TG Groovey Parameters |
| TG Groovey Tips |
| TG Groovey Samples |
| TG Pack 2 Index |