Quote - Does the item have absolutely uniform UV scale? If you put a checkerboard texture on it, are all the squares the same size?

I'm not absolutely certain. I'll be working with [url=http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/1930s-collection-/62321]this gown[/url] by Tabala.

 

Quote - First try.

Note - this absolutely requires two coincident surfaces. One for the glass and cloth (outside), and one for the metal base (inside, under the glass).

This is one of those shaders I just cannot do as a single layer of geometry. There have to be two interfaces with space between them.

I have suggested to SM that I need a "clone" shader, where I get to use two shaders for each bit of mesh - a surface and a subsurface. This is useful for things like this and others, where there is a clear coating of some kind with its own shape and something buried inside with its own, different shape, but both follow the general shape of the mesh. Another example is wood under a thick coating of varnish.

Anyway, I despair of this working. The base of each stone needs to be flat, not curved by the mesh. I don't know how to counteract that curve.

Perhaps it could be faked? I probably won't have camera close enough to observe every single stone. The end effect I'm goiing for is something like [url=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8QE15DjqTRE/Tl6bp4BKdMI/AAAAAAAAA1A/CLeyXbDzlDo/s1600/Diane-von-Furstenberg-Fall-2011-Red-Evening-Dress-Sigrid-Agren%255B1%255D.jpg]this[/url]--I suppose you could say I'm after the shimmering effect of a lot of small rhinestones.

 

Quote - re silk: Did you see this blouse? Right direction or no?

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2348196

I hadn't seen it, no. It does look good for modern machined silk, though I think [url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7OF9oX1Af4/TxsmLxfArPI/AAAAAAAAFF0/tymszS_H1fY/s1600/Blue+Color+Pure+Tusser+Silk+Saree+-+Indian+Silk+Sarees+2011.jpg]traditional silk[/url] tends to be...glossier? The reflection seems...sharper and less blurred, I think? And just in general shinier, I think.