Transparent Plastic... AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

How appropriate I should be posting this on halloween...
The only thing more frustrating sometimes than dealing with issues
within solidworks
is trying to find the really "good" settings for transparent plastic
renderings.

I know this has been posted on many times before but exact settings are
scarce and
most posts seem to be very old. Does anyone have anything that they
can share
file wise with the settings they've used or can post any recent
tutorials for getting
really good results on this issue? I know photoworks 2007 has been
improved dramatically since
the days of 2000 and 2001 when I used to use it most.

any "exact" help or walkthrough with be GREATLY appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Don

 

Hey Paul, thanks for your response. I've always been a fan of your
work.

I don't have a link right now but I'll try to have one tomorrow for
you.
The best I can do right now is tell you what I'm after is what you
would
find with any of those "hard to open" thin plastic wrapped packages you
would
find with new products such as electric mp3 players or almost anything
really.

I know this is somewhat vague but hopefully it gives you a better idea
of what
I need.

And I'm also running 2007 as well but have 2006 available if need be.

Thanks a lot!!
I'll try to have a pic tomorrow if needed.
Don

 

Hi Paul,

Here's the best part. I"ve tried to use the material you made 3 times
and everytime SolidWorks locks. I have to control/alt/delete and kill
it off. I thought they had the material hang issue fixed?

I'm on SW 2007 SP 1.0

Rob

 

LOL. I have to hand it to you Paul. No one rants better than you

 

Yup.... I'm looking to do a blister pack myself and that is exactly
what I'm looking for!

And too bad this file makes my solidwork 07 go down for the count as
well.
Paul... are you teasing us with your photoworks expertise by sending me
a corrupt file??? ; )

Is this file for 07 or made from 06? Would by chance be able to send
another or walk me through the settings individually?

Also, I know the room lighting plays a big role in results. Do you
have any
recommendations for the best results besides just the material
settings?

Perhaps another reference file that will make my system crash again? ;
)
(I hope SW is taking this stuff serious because I sure can't anymore)

Thanks again.
Don

 

Since Pauls materials didn't upload correctly:
BTW - He might add his own insight into the numbers below (everyone
tweaks their own). But at least the following will get you into the
game.

Select any material to start

Edit material

Under Illumination for material, select a material type=glass (or any
others that allow access to specular, roughness, reflectivity, and
index of refraction)

Set 'specular' all the way up (judgment call, but this has been the
best in my experience. This drives how bright the highlight is, which
is pretty darn bright on clear plastic)

Set 'Roughness' to 0.06 (a judgment call, but the higher the
number, the wider the spread of the highlights. 0.06 is my default for
the fairly sharp highlight typical of polished plastic)

'Reflectivity' - set it somewhere in the low-middle range to
start and adjust to your preference

'Index of refraction' - set to 1.0 for starters unless you are a
super-scientist and know the index of refraction for your material. The
higher the number, the larger the offset you will see of the stuff
inside the clamshell (think about the shifted position of the fish when
you see fish inside a fishbowl). From an artistic standpoint, no
offset is probably desirable - that's what I see as a target in
professional product photography.

'Transmission' - set to 0.9 or higher (judgment call - I usually
go 0.95-0.99)

* Important * to make your material clear, set your material color to
white, or really, really close to white if you want a tint.

Save the material.

Final important item: The reason that clear plastics look like they do
in the store has nothing to do with lighting and
transparency/transmission, it's because they reflect the stuff around
themselves in the store. That is why the reflectivity of the material
is important (and needs tweaking).
But in order to give it something to reflect, you either need to build
a scene in SWx (unnecessary pain in the ass) or use one of SWx
reflective environments or make your own. For the easiest route to
those reflections, use the 'scene editor' and choose a reflective
environment, which is made up of a 360deg photo that will reflect off
of your clear plastic.

Do I even have to mention that you have to set document
properties-document properties- number of refractions above at least
two in order to see the stuff on the inside of the package?

Hope this helps,
Ed

 

Very nice! Thanks for this info Ed and Paul.

This will keep me busy for a while.

Don