Creating Chrome Plating Textures?

[digitized]

Well, I'm modelling an iPod now, and the model itself has turned out pretty well, but being the awful texture-er, I can't seem to make a shiny steel texture for the back of it. I have looked at various shiny steel tutorials out there, and used their settings, but it doesn't look like highly reflective aluminium whatever I do. I know that for a reflection to work, it needs something to reflect, however I don't particulary want anything reflected, just for the surface to appear like highly reflective steel.

There is a picture of what I am trying to achieve below:
http://www.apple.com/r/store/gallery/ipod2/images/ipod3.jpg

Can anyone give me a hint on how to do this?

[digitized]

Well, I seem to have that semi-figured out now, I can make the top curve of the iPod look very much like what I want, although maybe a little too uniform, but the rest of it (the flat back, curved sides etc) which I think are the only bits not reflecting the ground plane of the sky dome I have it in, are just smooth, slightly reflective white.

I'm still stuck on it though, and I cant figure out a way to make it look like the entire front area is covered in a thin layer of almost completely transparent perspex, unless I actually PUT a new layer over the top and make it almost completely transparent.

This whole texturing business is really quite complicated.

[munky]

Having an extra layer sounds good as it's probably how the real thing is made up anyway. But you might want to look at lightwaves BRDF shader 31.60 LW manual and also the fresnel shader.

You might want to have a white sphere completley surrounding your object with invisible to camera set to on. I'd try to light it similar to how it might have been photographed. With reflectors and area type lights. I'd also recommend turning off the ambient light right from the start.

Digital Lighting and Rendering by Jeremy Birn is a great resource to have to hand


hope this is of some help


regards

paul

[digitized]

The extra layer is what I'd like to do, its just that since I hadn't thought about it when I started modelling it, it will be harder to put in now, and knowing my lack of modelling skill I'll probably just make a mess of it.
Anyway, I'll give it a try, and tell you guys how it turns out.