Specular Gold Flecks?

[Mentat7]

I am trying to create a semi-translucent greenish/cyan colored fishy color and I want to overlay it with small patches of highly specular shiny gold flecks- kind of like glitter. I tried altering the materials/textures but it didn't really give me what I was looking for. I thougt maybe if I created an alpha channel with highly contrasting small white dots that I could use it to mask the model and then paint those dots with a highly specular gold material. Haven't tried it yet as I am still trying to get a grasp on using the alpha channels, masking et. al. Does anyone have any ideas on this? Perhaps a simpler method? Any help would be very, very appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[Stonecutter]

That's the easiest way...Make an alpha by painting the dots, then grabbing it with the MRGBZ tool.

Another thing to keep in mind are the different effects achieved by different dot-producing methods...If you turn of ZAdd, and use flat color to paint the dots, you will have no shading, therefore a 'flat mask'. If you use a material like a basic shader,draw spheres in the screen, then grab it with 'Shaded' turned on in the MRGBZ grabber palette, you will have depth, so that the mask will produse 'domes'.

Either way, you grab your alpha, click on 'Make Stencil', then use the stencil to apply your metallic dots...
See the tutorial script below...
;)

[Stonecutter]

Here is a script that probably illustrates a method for what you're trying to do, but get in touch if you need anything!
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1012120333toi.jpg
The above is the end result of this script...
Set 'Show Actions' on, 'Delay' to 800-1000, and at the end, you should at least have a starting point... ;)

TransparentStencil.txt (http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_file-1012120475bqf.txt)

[DeeVee]

SC thanks for posting this information. I found it useful.

[Mentat7]

Thanks SC! I will give it a try. Maybe it will help me to better grasp the alpha/stenciling thing. :D

[drjjwow]

thanks for the script mike...