My son was over and we were trying to make a texture for his map.

The question that came up was how to make something look like silver and gold.  I bring up the color picker and get a color that is close to gold and I suppose gray is close to silver but it does not shine like a metal.

So how does one make something look like silver or gold?

I quess I am on the roll here with question!!

Sir Bors.

Well, if you want the actual texture to look 'gleamy' or relfective, I can tell you how (involves some shading/dodging), but what you really want is a shiny shader.  That'll look the most realistic.  I'm trying to think of one from the game, but all I can picture is 3DSMax materials.  I know they're in there, though...  Maybe glass... yeah, I think glass shaders should have the kind of look you're going for.  (shiny)

There ya go.

Forget the fact that this is for EF.  What you are saying is that I can not make something look like silver or Gold in photoshop?  Let's say I just what to make a picture and print it out.  (which I don't)  Photoshop can not do it?

Now getting back to the fact that this is for my son's map.

This brings up a question I been meaning to ask. I have followed many of these Code Samples and saved them for future referances that you guys have been helping each other on.

The question is what do I do with it?
Where do I put it?
And please answer any other question that a newbie in this might ask but does not know to ask because he is a newbie!!!

As much as we have learned this code sample is new territory to us but I think it is about time to at least learn to crawl if not walk into this.

Thanks,
Sir Bors

Quote (Sir_Bors @ Feb. 07 2005, 4:13 pm)

Forget the fact that this is for EF.  What you are saying is that I can not make something look like silver or Gold in photoshop?  Let's say I just what to make a picture and print it out.  (which I don't)  Photoshop can not do it?

Well yeah, but that's like asking if you can make something look like gold using oil paint.  Of course.  You get the right colors, you paint in the reflections and the specularity... But now that we have shaders in 3d games, it's not just art painted onto the architecture.  Alot can be done in-game that makes it look more realistic.  I mean look at something shiny in real life.  When you move it, or move around it, the 'shine' moves too.  You could paint a texture in Photoshop where some parts are lighter than others to simulate the 'shine,' but once you get in game, that 'shine' won't move when you do.  It'll look fake.  But if you use a shader script to control the shine, the shine can move as you move, and it looks a lot more realistic.  I don't know how else to explain... When you eventually figure it out, you'll realize how weird your question is.  Heh. (no offense)

Anyway, those shaders to in a .shader file, which is just a renamed text file.  They go in your 'shaders' folder under BaseEF.  There are a lot of shader tuts out there.

Thanks.  No offense taken because I know you guys kid around alot here and we are just having fun while learning, or at least I am the one learning!!

As to photoshop I asked just for the sake of learning how to do it there.  I know there are all sort of filters and other things and I just thought there might be a button that says push here and it will make it shine.  The way use describe it sounds a little harder then I want to get into now.  I got enough on my plate to learn without adding to it.

As far as in the game I understand and it does make sense.  I will now search for a shader tut. If I don't find one you will see a new posting that says "Help can not find shader tut".

Yeah.  My point was that if you want to find out how to make something look shiny in Photoshop, that's more of an artistic question than a technical one.

Quote (UniKorn @ Feb. 07 2005, 8:51 am)

Code Sample textures/special/gold {        { rgbGen identity map $lightmap } { map textures/special/gold.tga blendFunc GL_DST_COLOR GL_SRC_ALPHA rgbGen identity alphaGen lightingSpecular }        { map textures/special/gold.tga                tcgen environment blendFunc GL_ONE GL_ONE rgbGen identity }              { map textures/special/gold.tga                blendFunc GL_DST_COLOR GL_ZERO rgbGen identity } }

Errr... You will need different texture than just textures/special/gold
You will need a reflection map.

Material like gold or anything shiney only look as good as what they are reflecting.