ThinFilm

This page provides details about the ThinFilm texture in Chaos Vantage.

Overview

The ThinFilm texture can be used as a reflection color map in a material with the Fresnel option of the material turned off. The ThinFilm texture is based on the SIGERTEXMAPS ThinFilm map plugin that reproduces the effect of thin film interference on a surface. Refer to the Siger Studio's documentation for more information about the SIGERTEXMAPS ThinFilm.

In the image on the right, the ThinFilm map is mapped to the Reflection color of a VRayMtl. The Fresnel reflection option of the material is turned off. All ThinFilm parameters have their default values, except for the Thickness min, which is set to 350. Thus, a pearly look is achieved.

Settings

Thickness map – A texture map that specifies the actual thickness of the film between the specified Thickness min/max values. If this is left blank, the Thickness min parameter specifies the film thickness.

Thickness min/max – Controls the minimum/maximum thickness of the thin film, in nanometers. See the Thickness Min example below.

Ior ext – Controls the refractive index of the medium surrounding the material. Normally this is set to 1.0 for air.

Ior film – Controls the refractive index of the medium that the thin film is made of. See the IOR Film example below.

Ior int – Controls the refractive index of the medium below the thin film.

Gamma – Controls the gamma correction value.

Hue – Changes the colors using a standard Hue spectrum.

Sat – Controls the intensity or purity of the colors. Lower value remove color, causing the color to tend toward grayscale, while higher values intensify the color.

For information about the parameters in the Common and Mapping Properties tab, see the Textures page.

Examples

The following examples demonstrate the effect that individual ThinFilm Texture parameters have on the scene. Click on any image to view it at a higher resolution.

Example: Thickness Min

This example illustrates the effect of the Thickness min parameter on the VRayMtl material. The Thickness max parameter keeps its default value of 350. The ThinFilm texture is mapped to the Reflection color parameter of the VRayMtl.

Thickness min = 150

Thickness min = 250

Thickness min = 350

Example: IOR Film

This example illustrates the effect of the IOR Film parameter on the VRayMtl material. The Thickness min and Thickness max parameters keep their default values. The ThinFilm texture is mapped to the Reflection color parameter of the VRayMtl. The Refraction color of the VRayMtl is white and its Refraction IOR is that of water, i.e. 1.33.

Ior film = 1.5

Ior film = 2

Ior film = 3