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This page provides information on the V-Ray Fresnel Map.


Overview


VRayFresnel is a simple texture map that blends two colors or maps based on the angle of view and an index of refraction. For example, the user can connect the VRayFresnel texture to the specular color of a normal Maya material in order to create fresnel reflection.

To illustrate the texture's effect, the example on right shows VRayFresnel applied to the diffuse channel of a VRayMtl. The Front Color is set to Black, the Side Color is set to a bright cyan, and the IOR is set to 2.0





Parameters


Front Color – Specifies the color for the texture when viewed frontally.

Side Color – Specifies the color for the texture when viewed at a grazing angle.

IOR – Specifies the index of refraction to use when calculating the Fresnel term.





Example: VRayFresnel vs. Fresnel Reflections


The VRayFresnel can give a VRayMtl a stronger Fresnel effect on reflections than the Fresnel reflections option. Below is a simplified example to show how VRayFresnel changes the degree of reflectivity on a spherical object.

A VRayMtl is applied to both objects below, with different material setups. Where VRayFresnel is used, the front of the object (the part that faces the camera) is much less reflective than the sides of the object. The degree of reflectivity set by VRayFresnel affects both the reflected background and the reflection of the rectangular light source.




VRayMtl with white Reflect color, Use Fresnel enabled


VRayMtl with VRayFresnel map in Reflect channel, Use Fresnel disabled
Front reflectivity = 0.01
Side reflectivity = 1.0