How to create a Procedural Surface Texture from Curvature

This PixaFlux Video Tutorial shows how to use the Surface nodes to create a Procedural Texture from the object Curvature.

For this we'll use the surface nodes at different resolution levels.

Load the model into PixaFlux

We'll start with the low resolution concave and convex textures.

From the mesh nodes menu drag a Surface node

Set the scene .. object .. and size attributes

Drag a surface measure node

Connect it

Drag a surface bake node

Connect it

Drag a scene textures node

Connect it

Open the scene viewport settings window

Set the debug shader to albedo

Activate the surface measure node

Increase the size of the surface to be evaluated.

The surface measure node computes different properties of the suface by measuring differences from an element and the neighbors on the surface around it.

Angle average .. and maximum.

Vertical distance negative .. positive .. and absolute.

This node branch will compute the concave regions of the surface.

Set method to distance positive.

Drag a surface filter node.

Set the filter to max

Increase the number of iterations

Drag another surface filter node.

Set filter to swap

Increase the number of iterations

Drag a new surface measure node for the convex branch.

Drag a surface bake node.

Connect it

Activate the surface measure node

Set method to distance negative

Increase the size.

Increase the size attribute.

Drag a surface filter node

Set fiter to swap.

Set iterations

These are the low resolution concave areas.

And these are the low resolution convex areas.

Now let's make these textures high resolution.

Drag a new surface node.

Set the scene.. object.. and texture size.

Add a surface map node.

Connect the low resolution concave texture.

Add a surface bake node.

Connect the inputs .. and outputs.

The surface map node increases the resolution of the image but leaves a few artifacts on the uv seams.

Add a surface filter node.

Set filter to relax.

Increase iterations to smooth the texture.

Set iterations.

Now let's work on the convex texture.

Add a new surface map node.

Connect the low resolution texture.

Add a surface filter node.

Set filter to relax.

Set the iterations attribute.

Now we'll use these two textures as masks on blend nodes to mix the colors.

From the compose nodes menu, drag a blend node.

Connect the concave texture as mask.

Connect the output

Make both colors fully opaque.

Set the background color.

Set the blend opacity.

Add a second blend node.

Connect the image as background.

Connect the convex texture as mask.

Set the foreground color.

Set the blend opacity.

This is how you can use the surface measure node to add a procedural surface curvature texture to your models.

Thank you for watching this tutorial.

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