Adding realism to materials in a render can be achieved through various methods such as using textures, adjusting material settings, and adding details such as dust, scratches, and other imperfections. Here are a few ways in which this can be done:
Using textures: Adding textures such as diffuse, reflective, normal maps, and occlusion maps helps create visual depth and realism for materials. Textures can include details such as dust, scuffs, scratches, and other elements.
Customize material parameters: Experiment with material parameters such as reflection, refraction, sheen, roughness, etc. Small changes to these parameters can make materials look more realistic.
Adding a defects layer: Create an additional layer on the texture that contains information about defects such as dust, scratches, or scuffs. This layer can be applied on top of the main texture and hidden in places where the defects should not be visible.
Using shaders with defect effects: Some 3D modeling and rendering programs offer special shaders or materials with built-in defect effects such as dust, scratches, scuffs, etc. This can be a more convenient way to add realism to materials.
Using procedural textures: Procedural textures allow you to create complex details and effects directly within your 3D modeling software, making the process more flexible and convenient.
Experimenting with lighting and shadows: Consider how lighting and shadows affect materials. Adjusting lighting to emphasize textures and details, as well as adding additional light sources to create interesting effects, can greatly improve the realism of materials.
Adding details such as dust, scratches, and scuffs to materials helps create more lifelike and natural textures, making the render more realistic and appealing to the viewer.
