Reflections

[jaberwok]

Perhaps it's just me but why does (nearly) everybody go for impossibly high levels of reflection? In my experience real floors and counter tops do not reflect everything in sight.

[de-co1]

I am unsure (i.e. cannot remember) if Autocad allows for the changing of individual as well as global reflection settings. In Max, this can be manipulated, and if I do indeed remember correctly, ACAD does not allow one to do this.

The problem with this, in my opinion, is that the untrained eye sees a reflection, and focuses primarily on the intensity of that reflection at the source without considering falloff, distance from object and / or glossiness... As each material is in fact different, the reflection fall off then is as equally different.

This used to be a problem for me too until I learned more about it and what Max / Viz / any dedicated 3D package was capable of...

[Maverick91]

I am unsure (i.e. cannot remember) if Autocad allows for the changing of individual as well as global reflection settings. In Max, this can be manipulated, and if I do indeed remember correctly, ACAD does not allow one to do this.

The problem with this, in my opinion, is that the untrained eye sees a reflection, and focuses primarily on the intensity of that reflection at the source without considering falloff, distance from object and / or glossiness... As each material is in fact different, the reflection fall off then is as equally different.

This used to be a problem for me too until I learned more about it and what Max / Viz / any dedicated 3D package was capable of...I've seen this issue, too, and I think you're right on the mark about its causes and solutions.

[jaberwok]

Individual materials can have their reflectivity values reduced.

[de-co1]

I do agree, that certainly will help, but unfortunately the realism is still lost through a continuous reflection on a finish that doesn't actually provide a mirrored reflection - i.e. one that reflects to infinity... In a matter such as this, the user is restricted by the software more than their ability, and as such, people criticising such work should bear this in mind.

[jaberwok]

I do agree, that certainly will help, but unfortunately the realism is still lost through a continuous reflection on a finish that doesn't actually provide a mirrored reflection - i.e. one that reflects to infinity... In a matter such as this, the user is restricted by the software more than their ability, and as such, people criticising such work should bear this in mind.

I'll bear that in mind. :-)