Reflective Glass Tutorial

[Obmar 0]

Due to the amount of requests for help from the community and modelers regarding O2 modeling. I am going to start posting some basic and small O2 modeling Mini-Tutorials in this Section from time to time.

The first tutorial:

Virtual Reflective Glass.

I have put together a basic folder to be used with this tutorial. Please download <span style='color:RED'>glass.rar</span> and unpack to your models working folder in Oxygen 2 PE

Folder contains 6 files

glass_ca.paa

glass_ca.tga (targa copy for editing purposes)

reflect_co.paa

reflect_co.tga (targa copy for editing purposes)

reflective_glass.rvmat (material file)

glass-pass2.rvmat (material file)

These files can be used as a basis to apply reflective glass effects to all your models.

STEP 1

Open the model you want to apply the reflective glass to in the Oxygen 2 PE editor.

STEP 2

Apply the glass texture to the polygons you want to be glass or transparent, you can use the texture I have made (glass_ca.paa) or any other glass texture you want to use for your model.

<span style='color:red'>HINT:</span>I normally seperate my mesh with the polygons I want to use as glass and give it a name in the "Named Selection" eg -glass. It is easier to work with when I apply the glass texture to the selection.

Now the texture is applied and the selection is transparent but does not look like glass yet.

STEP 3

Go to the folder where you unpacked the glass.rar file and open the reflective_glass.rvmat file with the Material Editor or by double clicking on the file. A Material Editor screen will pop up as seen in the image bellow.

<span style='color:red'>NOTE:</span>if you opened the file in the Material Editor by double-clicking on it you have to press File/Open and open the file in the editor again otherwise you cannot edit it.

Don't know why it does that but seems to be a glitch with the software. Scroll down to the bottom of the material editor and only change the following entries.

<span style='color:red'>a:</span> is the specular power you want for you glass.

<span style='color:red'>HINT:</span> the lower the value the more reflective the glass becomes, play around with the setting using the slider to suit your requirements.

<span style='color:red'>NOTE:</span> do not change the stage config no 1 as this is the standard FresnelGlass setting used by the ArmA graphics engine.

<span style='color:red'>b:</span> Stage 2 is for a texture that will give your glass a reflective aspect of the environment around you. I have used the standard BIS one as bellow but you could actually make one to suit your environment.

This is also a good way to apply reflection to your models rearview mirrors. Just change the UV texture from the glass one to a non transparent mirror type texture.

Click in the Source Name field and select the reflect_co.paa file from where you placed it in your model's work file.

<span style='color:red'>c:</span> This is the link to a material file (glass-pass2.rvmat) with an alpha pass. You can look at that file but do not change anything as that is a standard setting.

Click Browse and select the glass-pass2.rvmat file from where you placed it in your model's work file.

Save the file and close the material editor.

STEP 4

Open your model in Oxygen 2 PE and select the glass named selection or the selection you want to apply the reflective glass material file to.

<span style='color:red'>d:</span> Click on the yellow folder on the right of the material field and select the reflective_glass.rvmat file from where you placed it in your model's work file.

Press Apply and then ok.

STEP 5

View the model with buldozer and there you have it lovely virtual reflective glass.

You can play around with the Specular Power settings as in step <span style='color:red'>a:</span> above to get more or less reflection off your glass.

Hope this tutorial helps and gives a little understanding of how the ArmA material files are applied.

[JBâ„¢ 1]

I get where your coming form regarding requests, I seem to spend more time these days answering requests in my PM`s than actually doing any work.

The tutorial is great, Im going to bookmark this. I have had reflective glass working before but it seemed a more hit-and-miss trial and error method than something you have laid down in your tute

dankie ouen

[steel rat 5]

Thx! Great manual.

[MehMan 0]

Does the glass also reflect on the inside? I guess this could be applied to the inner polygons of the glass so you have a reflection of the cockpit, but toned down more.

Also, awsome tut man!

[Obmar 0]

You can change the reflection texture to a toned down version of the interior of your model. Then just make a duplicate .rvmat file but with the path to the new texture and call it eg. reflect_inside.rvmat and apply it to you internal glass named selection.

[Rebel Man 431]

Thanks man for this tutorial.

[[aps]gnat 28]

Great contribution !!

Thanks Obmar

[EricM 0]

That seems useful, but unfortunately all the links seem to be down... anyone knows where to find the rar archive or rvmat file ?

On a side note : does someone have a tutorial about rvmat editing ?

thanks a lot.

[Obmar 0]

links are fixed now, we just moved hosts so had to update the links

[luki 53]

Ah perfect links are back again. Thanks for this tut.