Q'n'D: Reflections and Transparency by Sabine62

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Fractal Art Week



Note: these are not the holy grail settings for reflections and transparency. They are what this is called: a quick and dirty approach for those who (like me for a long long time) need a place to start and experiment from. All in here is based on what I found out myself or what I was pointed to by kind fellow DA-members. If you find fault with it, have additional tips or whatever, please drop me a note :)  Also, please remember, I am not a native speaker. Either ignore spelling- and/or grammar-mistakes or (even better!) point me to them if you like! :)

Errmm... Maybe it's not such a Quick tutorial after all... :}

Reflections

 

Open these parameters in Mandelbulb3D:

Mandelbulb3Dv18{
g....UZ....Y/...V.....A...UYnfe8ufK/.Ptiwe0DO.1EBFtYOzgyjwfIL7IrDfz9zaQ6FkJp2C.k
................................wNHUMCTBk.2........A.R/.................y.2...wD
...Uz6/..cE0.....E.1/...........9.....EC.....YasXG3c1nmD/.EnAnQD..Ug0pAnAp1.8QxM
z6EnAnQD12E./2.......UAozOaNaNaNalvjBnAnAnAnAx9..........c/3/....y1...sD...../..
.z1...kDxqWCG/ukgw1..........0cfRi3GESZjDFz5QJOH1qPjhcXIUCA9zI1eXa3GESZjEVucNV2Y
Lt1aiqtK6/tJy6FSEz2c1nmDU.....oE..............sD/2.....E..G.....................
.............oAnAt1...sD....zw1....................................nVxiD6.....x/
.....Ksulz1.......kA.khrD17U..6.L....E1...EB....w0...I2...kD....3....2nm.....lLU
...U.a0AokhzcffrzQYHDzTyef2.2c..zzzz..EbG7eFT5uj6EdGkxmWcz1...........k.8.kdWp/.
.sM93P58iz9.MmnWK2zwz0........../6U0.YnFP/..fjrwdvgqzs/Fbf24LNyD/.........E1ookz
ZYeL...ctXjvFKyD9RbHSL6nazH.zuMMjC86.5./8.kzzzD............8....................
/EU0.wzzzz8..0.........U..........6..........6WRY0......8rqgi84......kUT........
...1y/....U0IYF4Fs5..........oVT..........EAy/..........ls5..........IbT........
..kKz/.............QU0jaJzFoTuIdWzngi8qdjzZX.4rU.w4RjB1CnQX9e/rN.s4NZdbAk.1Aic4Q
E../.6E.F2E.....I....o....kIkVKNmJKG4B3.rJaQ.c5.......................U1C.U1BoE1
06E./..............wz..........E........................................kz1.....
...wz.........zD........kz1...................zD........kzn85OFqCTzvz...........
.....................2.....3....B....A3QcJaQZZYFH/.PYZaPb/kQ....................
.sU1.sE1BoU.02E......cNaNaNaNayD..........2.............................5.2.....
...wz.........zD........kz1........wz........U.E........kz1........wzIA6k85OFayD
................................}

Click Calculate and the image will look like this:

Blauw Geel Kleur Moet Nog by Sabine62

Reflections depend for the most part on two settings: The lightness of the specular colour and the amount of it.

Let's have a look at both.

Click Lighting on the right of the main window and make sure you have opened the Object-tab.

click to adjust colour also NO Ipol by Sabine62

In the window above a few things are important: The colours of the specular object colours (Spec.) are all black. You can edit them - as we will do in a bit - by clicking on the button. The second is the setting of the slider of Spec. Roughly speaking, the more the slider is set to the right, the more reflections you get once your specular colours are lighter than pure or almost black. And then there is a third item of interest: The box next to No ipol is checked. I have done this for this tutorial, because it will make colour-handling much easier in the beginning. Once you start experiment on your own, feel free to explore what happens once you uncheck this box! :) But for the moment, please let it stay checked.

Since we now know that with a pure or almost black specular object colour we will not get any reflections, let's change them now: Click on the button that says Spec.

Colour adjustment by Sabine62

On the right next to the colour-bar you see their names:

Transparency (all black)

Specular (all black:

Diffuse (blue/yellowish/black)

What interest us now is the lightness of the specular colour (is must be lighter to generate reflections, the lighter the more reflections). Let's just keep it simple and change them to white:

 

Right-click at the far lower left on the black area just above the blue one at the arrow.

Change Specular by Sabine62

Change the black to white and click OK

The specular colour above the blue diffuse colour part should now be white, while it is still black above the yellow and black parts.

Close the light-settings by clicking the X on the upper right.

Your image now looks like this:

Blauw Geel Kleur Spec Colour Changed by Sabine62

Notice that the blue sphere now reflects the light while the yellow almost-sphere does not. If you would have changed the specular colour above the yellow to a lighter tint, that one would now too be reflecting.

Now go to the Postprocess-tab in the main window and click open Reflection + Transparency

Depth Settings by Sabine62

Amount is the amount of reflection.

Depth determines if the reflection of the reflection in the other object will be reflected and the depth of this process.

Calculate transparency does just that.

Only dIFS is used for transparency of only the dIFS in mixed fractals.

Absorption determines how much of the reflecting light is absorbed.

Refractive index sets how much the light entering an object is 'bent' in transparencies (think how a straw in a glass of water seems to be bent at an angle where it enters the surface).

Light scattering sets the amount of light that is 'fired back' into other directions from a surface that is not 100% smooth.

Calculate only a selection does just that.

 

Fill in all values as you see in the image above.

Click Calculate now in this tab

Blauw Geel Na Refl 1 by Sabine62

As you can see, the blue sphere now reflects, while the yellow one does not. That is correct because the specular colour corresponding with the yellow is black and should not reflect. In this case an Amount (the higher the more reflection)  of 1 is maybe a bit too much. Lower it to 0.1

Click Calculate now in this tab

Blauw Geel Na Refl 0.1 by Sabine62
Here you can just see the blue sphere reflecting the yellow one a little bit. Maybe a bit too little. Set Amount to 0.3

Click Calculate now in this tab

Blauw Geel Na Refl 0.3 by Sabine62

Now this looks better. Notice that the yellow sphere is reflected like a sphere, not like a flat disk.

To look at Absorption, set it to 100

Click Calculate now in this tab

Blauw Geel Na Refl 0.3 Absorbtion 100 by Sabine62
Notice how the reflection on the blue sphere of the yellow sphere has become dark and also quite flat, more like a disk. Because the absorption is higher, there is less light left to reflect.

Set Absorption to 0.2 again and Light scattering to 100

Click Calculate now in this tab

Blauw Geel Na Refl 0.3 Light Scattering 100 by Sabine62
As you can see, Light scattering does almost the opposite of Absorption: The yellow sphere is now reflected very brightly, but also very flat compared to reflections where Absorption and Light scattering were set to lower values.

We haven't tried Depth yet. Let's do so now.

Open these parameters and let MB3D calculate them Mandelbulb3Dv18{
g.....S....O/...w....2....E1qUqrQr04.TyZLQORq44E2j2WWz5J9yPD0zB2Amm0.xQYhr0zbN/k
................................d67a8mk1W.2........A.78.................y.2...wD
...Uz6....U2..../M.0/.....Es....8.....E3.....A0sxPvGX.oD/..........m/dkpXm1....U
z.....kD12../..........wz.................................U0.....y1...sD...../..
.z1...sDx2pcpio6.x1..........YoENTkhkdajmBPo9hdVOtXo2pz3WjyCzY6xSU2ek.nDtt1Rzisr
atnMWeLGc01Az0HeZKVsfjnDU.....Ie..............sD/2....sD..G.....................
.............oAnAt1...sD....zw1........................................./....k1.
.....Ksulz1.......kz.wzyL1.U..6.P....20...EB....S3...c3....F....O/...I1.....SH52
...U.K.75xzzw5yy3EmFLzzyN16.2c..znTr..kQhUXI/1yj6EBqwnQahz1...........k.8.k9033.
.sM93P58iz9.MmnWK2zwz0........../EU0.wzzz1...........s/...................E.2c..
zzzz.............0...................2./8.kzzzD............8....................
/EU0.wzzz1...................................I.75/UqenDzdGnzyPD.r1Rkr5THpFE3.UjC
LVz2Mxjzq1.mUjzyfeqzyPD.PjSzxr8RL52..IDnwKjTsxjzq1UyWfhyDi5Si6/.t5SqtDKTpFE3.6p.
DwDzzJ.75/k.HImz..E/YQo5eemzyPTzIJJ/YQo5yWLg52GD.UX9e/rN........................
E....6E.F2E.....I....U.....IjlKS4x4PYZYFH/...............................MU/46..
................................................................................
...3.VF92FpyVY.E................................................................
.....................2.....3....B....A3QcJaQZZYFH/kRZ75.........................
.sU1.sE1BoU.02E...............zD........kz1.....................OaNaNaNavz1.....
...wz.........zD........kz1.............................kz1........wz.........zj
................................}

As you can see, because I checked Calculate R. (+T.) automatically, the reflection is immediately calculated too.

Untitled Drawing by Sabine62

Your image will look like this

Reflection Depth 1 by Sabine62

You can see that on each sphere the other four spheres are reflected.

Set Depth to 2

Click Calculate now in this tab

Reflection Depth 2 by Sabine62

Now not only the 4 spheres are reflected, but also the reflections.

Set Depth to 3

Click Calculate now in this tab

Reflection Depth 3 by Sabine62

On top of the reflections on the precious image, now also the reflections of the reflections are reflected.

Set Depth to 10

Click Calculate now in this tab

Reflection Depth 10 by Sabine62

This... is the reflection of the reflection of the reflection of the reflection... etc :}

And also the end of the reflection part. Experiment with the tint of the specular colour. Here we used only white, but all colours and shades can be used, as long as you remember: the darker the colour, the less reflections. And sometimes that will be just what you want. Play also with assigning different tints of specular light to different diffuse colours and watch the effects. Remove the check next to No ipol and explore how reflections behave then. Have Fun :)




Transparency


Open these parameters:

Mandelbulb3Dv18{
g....UZ....Y/...V.....A...k16We8ufK/.vD0xe0DO.1EOFgaiXH0kwfdXAzvsY.Azq8ffsTEHC.k
................................wNHUMCTBk.2........A.Z0.................y.2...sD
...Uz6/..c.......E.1/...........8.....EC.....YasXG3c1nmD/.EnAnQD..Ug0pAnAp1.8QxM
z6EnAnQD12E./2.......UAozOaNaNaNalvjBnAnAnAnAx9..........c/3/....y1...sD...../..
.z1...kDE7uexUfYZw1..........8iEqGYBg4Zjuty98U5xwp9IWiODs8N7zcWjuAYBg4ZjxsfC1N1f
Ftnw0N9FqkOIywgKQj1iGKmDU.....2E..............sD02.....E..G.....................
.............oAnAt1...sD....zw1....................................nVxiD/.....x/
.....Ksulz1.......kA.khrD17U..6.z....E1...EB....w0...U5....A....H/...2nm.....prX
No0U.a0AokhzcffrzQYHDzTyef2.2c..zzzz..EbG7eFT5uj6EdGkxmWcz1...........k.8.kdWp/.
.sM93P58iz9.MmnWK2zwz0........../6U0.YnFP/..fjrwdvgqzs/Fbf24LNyD/.........E1ookz
ZYeL...ctXjvFKyD9RbHSL6nazH.zuMMjC86.5./8.kzzzD............8....................
/EU0.wzzzz8..0.........U..........6..........6WRY0k.7gkzLIrgi84.zzzz.IuT........
...fz/....U0IYF4ny5..........wvT..........koz/..........Hz5..........wyT........
...yz/.............QU0jaJzFoTuIdWzngi8qdjzZX.4rU.w4RjB1CnQX9e/rN.s4NZdbAk.1Aic4Q
E../.6E.F2E.....I....o....kIkVKNmJKG4B3.rJaQ.c5.......................U1C.U1BoE1
06E./..............wz..........E........................................kz1.....
...wz.........zD........kz1...................zD........kzn85OFqCTzvz...........
.....................2.....3....B....A3QcJaQZZYFH/.PYZaPb/kQ....................
.sU1.sE1BoU.02E......cNaNaNaNayD..........2.....................................
...wz.........zD........kz1........wz...................kz1........wzIA6k85OFayD
................................}


Click Calculate  

Your image will look like this:

0 by Sabine62

If you take a look at the parameters, you can see that there are two spheres, one put inside the other. On the outside of course you can't see that. Until you use Transparency.

And for that you need a prerequisite: The colour-bar corresponding with transparency above the diffuse colour has to be (just like with reflections) lighter than black.

Color-bar Transp by Sabine62

As you can see, Transparency above the blue Diffuse colour is white here, and black above the Diffuse colour yellow. This means that when we calculate, everything that is blue will be transparent. But there is more to transparency than that. Open the Postprocess tab and click open the section Reflections + Transparency:

Calculate Transp by Sabine62

Click Calculate now in this screen.

This is what your image looks like now:

1 by Sabine62
Does not look very much like something transparent, does it? The colour is darker, but other than that there is not much difference.

In the section Reflections + Transparency, change depth to 2 and click Calculate now.

2 by Sabine62
Hey, this Does look like transparency! Let's try again, and have a look of there's anything in that inner sphere!

In the section Reflections + Transparency, change depth to 3. Click Calculate now.

3 by Sabine62
Not really any big change... But... let's try again!

In the section Reflections + Transparency, change depth to 4. Click Calculate now.

4 by Sabine62

So there IS something inside there. Set depth to 5.Click Calculate now.

5 by Sabine62

Set depth to 6 and click Calculate now.

6 by Sabine62

Looks like a pattern: a new level of transparency is found at every other change of the depth. Why is that?

The truth is: I do not know! But, I have a theory. (Should you know how it Really works, please let me know! :) )

6uitleg by Sabine62

I think it could well be that without any depth (0) we look at the outside of the most outer structure. With a depth of 1 we look at the inside of the most outer structure. With a depth of 2 we view the outside of the first inner structure and with a depth of 3 at the inside of the first inner structure. So with every step we increase the depth we alternately look at first the outside and then the inside of the next inner structure.

Just my theory ;)

And what about selective transparency? Like we have seen with reflections, it is also possible to let some diffuse colours be transparent and others not. I have prepared a simple example:

Mandelbulb3Dv18{
g....UZ....Y/...V.....A...UYnfe8ufK/.Ptiwe0DO.1EBFtYOzgyjwfIL7IrDfz9zaQ6FkJp2C.k
................................wNHUMCTBk.2........A.t/.................y.2...sD
...Uz6/..cU0.....E.1/...........9.....EC.....YasXG3c1nmD/.EnAnQD..Ug0pAnAp1.8QxM
z6EnAnQD12E./2.......UAozOaNaNaNalvjBnAnAnAnAx9..........c/3/....y1...sD...../..
.z1...kDxqWCG/ukgw1..........0cfRi3GESZjDFz5QJOH1qPjhcXIUCA9zI1eXa3GESZjEVucNV2Y
Lt1aiqtK6/tJy6FSEz2c1nmDU.....oE..............sD.2.....E..G.....................
.............oAnAt1...sD....zw1....................................nVxiD6.....x/
.....Ksulz1.......kA.khrD17U..6.z....E1...EB....w0...U5...kD....3....2nm.....lrX
...U.a0AokhzcffrzQYHDzTyef2.2c..zzzz..EbG7eFT5uj6EdGkxmWcz1...........k.8.kdWp/.
.sM93P58iz9.MmnWK2zwz0........../6U0.YnFP/..fjrwdvgqzs/Fbf24LNyD/.........E1ookz
ZYeL...ctXjvFKyD9RbHSL6nazH.zuMMjC86.5./8.kzzzD............8....................
/EU0.wzzzz8..0.........U..........6..........6WRY0....kzuoqgi84.zzzz.ErT........
..kSz/....U0IYF41y5..........wsT...........dz/..........Yy5..........syT........
...yz/.............QU0jaJzFoTuIdWzngi8qdjzZX.4rU.w4RjB1CnQX9e/rN.s4NZdbAk.1Aic4Q
E../.6E.F2E.....I....o....kIkVKNmJKG4B3.rJaQ.c5.......................U1C.U1BoE1
06E./..............wz..........E........................................kz1.....
...wz.........zD........kz1...................zD........kzn85OFqCTzvz...........
.....................2.....3....B....A3QcJaQZZYFH/.PYZaPb/kQ....................
.sU1.sE1BoU.02E......cNaNaNaNayD..........2.............................5.2.....
...wz.........zD........kz1........wz........U.E........kz1........wzIA6k85OFayD
................................}


6 Geel by Sabine62

Again we have two spheres, one blue, one yellow. and as you have seen in the colour scheme of the parameters you are using now, the Transparency is set to white above the blue Diffuse colour and to black above the yellow Diffuse colour. This should mean that once we move the yellow sphere into the blue one, we should only be able to get a transparency to the level of the yellow shere. Let's give that a try:

Mandelbulb3Dv18{
g....UZ....Y/...V.....A...UYnfe8ufK/.Ptiwe0DO.1EBFtYOzgyjwfIL7IrDfz9zaQ6FkJp2C.k
................................wNHUMCTBk.2........A.R2.................y.2...sD
...Uz6/..cE0.....E.1/...........8.....EC.....YasXG3c1nmD/.EnAnQD..Ug0pAnAp1.8QxM
z6EnAnQD12E./2.......UAozOaNaNaNalvjBnAnAnAnAx9..........c/3/....y1...sD...../..
.z1...kDyqWCG/ukgw1..........4cfRi3GESZjEFz5QJOH1qfjhcXIUCA9zI1eXa3GESZjEVucNV2Y
LtnZiqtK6/tJy2FSEz2c1nmDU.....YE..............sD0M.....E..G.....................
.............oAnAt1...sD....zw1....................................nVxiD/.....x/
.....Ksulz1.......kA.khrD17U..6.z....E1...EB....w0...U5...kD....3....2nm.....lrX
...U.a0AokhzcffrzQYHDzTyef2.2c..zzzz..EbG7eFT5uj6EdGkxmWcz1...........k.8.kdWp/.
.sM93P58iz9.MmnWK2zwz0........../6U0.YnFP/..fjrwdvgqzs/Fbf24LNyD/.........E1ookz
ZYeL...ctXjvFKyD9RbHSL6nazH.zuMMjC86.5./8.kzzzD............8....................
/EU0.wzzzz8..0.........U..........6..........6WRY0k.7gkzuoqgi84.zzzz.ErT........
..kSz/....U0IYF41y5..........wsT...........dz/..........Yy5..........syT........
...yz/.............QU0jaJzFoTuIdWzngi8qdjzZX.4rU.w4RjB1CnQX9e/rN.s4NZdbAk.1Aic4Q
E../.6E.F2E.....I....o....kIkVKNmJKG4B3.rJaQ.c5.......................U1C.U1BoE1
06E./..............wz..........E........................................kz1.....
...wz.........zD........kz1...................zD........kzn85OFqCTzvz...........
.....................2.....3....B....A3QcJaQZZYFH/.PYZaPb/kQ....................
.sU1.sE1BoU.02E......cNaNaNaNayD..........2.....................................
...wz.........zD........kz1........wz........U.E........kz1........wzIA6k85OFayD
................................}

This will give you this:

6 Geel Voor Transp by Sabine62


The yellow sphere sits snuggly within the blue one. But inside it there will be more little spheres. Now can we get to them by for instance setting the depth to 6? Try it and click Calculate now

6 Geel Transp by Sabine62
As expected, instead of giving as much inner spheres as we have seen earlier, transparency stops as soon as the non-transparent yellow sphere is encountered.

Feel free to experiment and change the Transparency above the Diffuse colour yellow to white or another light tint to see the little inner spheres emerge again.



Only dIFS

This option is used if you have a combination of 'normal' formulas and dIFS. If you wish that only the dIFS are shown as transparent, check this option.

Mandelbulb3Dv18{
g....UZ....Y/...V.....A...kKX2wvPuE6.568FpF6iA0EyGDMYMyZ2.oCjNtmsnqHz268FpF6iA0E
................................gY4NMXd30z1........Y.B1.................y.2...sD
...Uz6/..cU0.....E.1/...........t/....EC.....UyoSl4H5btD/.EnAnQD..Ug0pAnAp1.8QxM
z6EnAnQD12E./2.......UAozOaNaNaNalvjBnAnAnAnAx9..........c/3/....y1...sD...../..
.z1...kDx9JbRMFCMynOZY2r8ECfyyE4H/GPX4sj9tViNP9HlrP6xIXOARQazI7LNCH7SIgjHjOnVoqc
/y1IvyIORUxkycT4JiV3tUtDU.....24..............kD.2.....E..G.....................
.............oAnAt1...sD....zw1....................................nVxiDF....2..
.....Ksulz1.......kA.khrD17U..6.L....E1...EB....w0...I2...U5....L....2nm.....lLU
...U.a0AokhzcffrzQYHDzTyef2.2c..zzzz..EbG7eFT5uj6EdGkxmWcz1...........k.8.kdWp/.
.sM93P58iz9.MmnWK2zwz0........../6U0.YnFP/..fjrwdvgqzs/Fbf24LNyD/.........E1ookz
ZYeL...ctXjvFKyD9RbHSL6nazH.zuMMjC86.5./8.kzzzD............8....................
/EU0.wzzzz8..0.........U..........6..........6WRY0kzzzD.f6/ubvA.....zP9DWM5d.wzz
z1.2y/..........jt5.....8EF4NsdT...........xy/..........Ux5..........6vT........
..kuz/.............QU0jaJzFoTuIdWzngi8qdjzZX.4rU.w4RjB1CnQX9e/rN.s4NZdbAk.1Aic4Q
E6./1A..V2E.....2....A....EEh3aSdtqNU6oPs/UQ..5.......................k/9.......
...................../........yD........kz1.....................................
................................................................................
.....................2.....3....B....A3QcJaQZZYFH/kRZ75.u/......................
.sU1.sE1BoU.02E..............M/E..........2.............................Z.YaNaNa
Natyz.........zD........kz1........wz...................kz1........wzgmVKYhnrzyD
................................/....E/...E1....H/5OZ7LN7NoI.k4NdtqN.A5.........
............Cs..CoE1B6U./2......OaNaNaNadz1........../..........................
..o9.1........zD........kz1........wz.........zD........6.2........wz.........zD
310gmVKYdz1.................................}

In this example only the blue diffuse will reflect but not be transparent, whereas the yellow diffuse colour will not reflect but be transparent. The sphere is a dIFS, while the box it is attached to, is not.

If things go right, only the yellow part of the sphere should become transparent

Difs Voor Transparantie by Sabine62

In the section Reflections + Transparency, change depth to 3 and check Calculate Transparency and Only dIFS

Click Calculate now.

Difs Na Only Difs Transparantie by Sabine62

It works! YAY! ;) And the little sphere inside proves to be yellow too ;)

Again, experiment away and most of all have fun while you discover :) Set the Transparancy of the Diffuse colour to different tints, examine how changing the Amount alters the result, remove the check at No ipol, combine partial reflections with partial transparencies, in short: play and have fun exploring :)


© 2015 - 2024 Sabine62
Comments66
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monkeyprint's avatar

Outstanding tutorial, thanks so much. I learned a great deal just reading this through, I will no doubt refer back to it, when I have some meaningful reflections to add. :giggle: