Maugan Way: Road Textures

Maugan way features a hyper realistic imagery of a residential project. One of which is its road textures. We from 2G Studio utilized Vray 5 for this project, but you don’t need to use vray to create textures, corona can do it as well. 

In the creative process of crafting the road texture for "Mauganway," 2g Studio embraced the powerful Layering technique. By skillfully combining multiple materials into layers, we infused depth and realism into the texture, giving life to the virtual roads. This approach allowed us to meticulously blend asphalt base, imperfections, road markings, and even tire marks, resulting in a mesmerizing and authentic visual experience that showcases our team's passion for storytelling through 3D rendering.
In the making of maugan way we used vray blend material as shown in the image below.

V-Ray Blend Material is a versatile tool used in 3D rendering to create complex and realistic textures. It comprises several main slots that allow artists to layer and blend different materials seamlessly. 

The first slot is the Base Material, which acts as the foundation of our texture. When creating a specific surface, like a road, the Base Material should be set to a road texture bitmap. This defines the primary appearance and characteristics of the material.

The second slot is the Coat, aptly named as it functions as an additional layer above the Base Material. The Coat slot allows artists to add extra details or variations to the texture without altering the underlying Base Material. For example, a Coat could be used to introduce subtle weathering effects, dirt, or imperfections to the road texture, enhancing its realism.

The final crucial slot is the Blend slot, which plays a crucial role in providing masking to the Coats with corresponding names. The purpose of the Blend slot is to ensure that the added layers (Coats) do not entirely cover all the layers in the Base Material. By using blending masks, the artist can control the transparency or influence of each Coat layer, determining how they interact with the Base Material. This enables precise control over the appearance and behavior of the material, allowing for a more nuanced and refined final texture.

In summary, the V-Ray Blend Material offers a powerful and flexible approach to texture creation by utilizing the Base Material as a foundation, adding various Coats to introduce additional details, and using the Blend slot to control the blending and masking of these layers. This combination empowers artists to produce highly realistic and visually captivating materials for their 3D scenes.

To create the road texture, we start with an asphalt texture as our base material. For the first coat (Coat 1), we use a lighter asphalt texture or adjust the brightness of the base material to add variation. Additionally, we apply the Vray Distance Tex, which reacts with objects in the scene. We choose to apply this texture along the curb of the road to simulate its proximity, mimicking real-world scenarios.

For the second coat (Coat 2), the goal is to introduce imperfections to the road surface. In reality, roads are not perfectly smooth, and we want to replicate this natural look in our rendering. By using appropriate textures and fine-tuning the blending parameters, we can achieve a more realistic and visually appealing road texture with subtle irregularities and details. This process contributes to the overall authenticity of the scene, making it closely resemble real-world environments.

In the third coat, we incorporate textures for the road markings, which can be white, yellow, or green, depending on the design requirements. To achieve this, we utilize the Vray Distance Tex technique once again. This texture interacts with objects in the form of lines, allowing us to apply road markings that have been previously modeled.

By employing the Vray Distance Tex in conjunction with the modeled road markings, we can ensure that the texture appears accurately and precisely aligned with the road's surface. The technique allows for seamless integration of the markings onto the road, ensuring they follow the contours and curves realistically, akin to real-world road markings.

This multi-layered approach, combining different textures and utilizing Vray Distance Tex, enables us to produce highly detailed and true-to-life road textures with variations in asphalt, imperfections, and accurately placed road markings, enhancing the overall quality and realism of the rendered scene.

Lastly, we add the tire marks texture. While this texture is optional, it can significantly enhance the realism and visual appeal of the scene. To achieve this effect, we follow the same procedure as before, using the Coat slot and the base asphalt material. However, this time, we darken the base asphalt material to simulate the appearance of tire marks, as they would leave a darker imprint on the road surface.

The key lies in the Blend/masking process. For masking, we use a line-based masking pattern, as depicted in the image below. To apply this pattern, we manipulate and bend it in Photoshop to conform to the desired shape of the tire marks.

By carefully blending the darkened base asphalt material with the tire marks texture using the customized masking pattern, we can achieve a seamless and natural integration of the tire marks onto the road surface. This meticulous process contributes to achieving a super realistic and visually stunning final result, elevating the overall quality and authenticity of the rendered scene.

After successfully creating the masking in Photoshop, the next step is to apply it to the Blend slot and assign it a different UVW map channel compared to other materials. Additionally, we use a different UVW map channel for the tire marks texture. The reason behind using different map channels is to prevent any interference or influence from textures that may be using the default map channel 1.

By assigning the tire marks texture to a distinct map channel, such as UVW map channel 2 or higher, we ensure that it remains isolated from other textures that may use the default map channel. This separation allows us to manipulate and adjust the positioning of the tire marks independently, without affecting the placement of other textures on the road surface.

In conclusion, the road textures in the "Mauganway" residential project showcase the exceptional artistry and expertise of 2G Studio in the realm of 3D rendering. Through the skillful use of V-Ray Blend Material and layering techniques, they have breathed life into the virtual roads, delivering hyper-realistic and captivating imagery. The meticulous combination of asphalt base, imperfections, road markings, and tire marks has resulted in a visually mesmerizing experience that mirrors the intricacies of the real world. This creative process not only exemplifies the studio's passion for storytelling through 3D rendering but also demonstrates their commitment to achieving authenticity and precision in their projects.

By embracing the power of V-Ray 5 and the flexibility of alternative rendering solutions like Corona, 2G Studio has set a benchmark for producing complex and lifelike road textures. The seamless blending of various materials and the thoughtful use of masking and UVW map channels have enabled them to create textures that stand out for their attention to detail and artistic finesse. "Mauganway" serves as a testament to the potential of advanced rendering tools in the hands of skilled artists, elevating the realm of 3D visualization to new heights of realism and immersive storytelling.