Pure laziness really, but I need your help. I've created a new image:

Notice the reflection of the light in the tile?
How do I get it so that it only reflects in the tile and not the grout?
Also, notice the scale of the bricks is out, they are stretched even though I resized both ways the same amount.
Ideas welcome.
Thanks peeps. Phil

Actually, I didn't notice the bricks until you mentioned it. Have you tried only resizing one direction? Scrunching up the <--> direction so it makes them more the shape of regular bricks? (Altho', I'm sure I've seen some shaped like this, if not in these colors.) Is the tile a separate material? If so, you should be able to adjust the components of it to get rid of the reflections. If it's not, maybe make it one? It's hard to tell if your tile is a single item with a mat or if you've booleaned it to get the grooves. If it's booleaned, a flat layer just below the surface to mimic the grout would work I'd think. 'Course that's the hard way 'round it. Hey, how about some faint caustics on the ceiling and walls? That would look cool! All in all? Day-ummm! This is wonderful! :o)

I worked out the brick problem, it's cause I increased the perspective. So yeah, should have stretched more one way. The tiles are a stock texture (you know the blue dentist wall)? I just changed the colour. I think really what I want to know is how to make part of a texture reflective, (the white part) and another part not reflective (the black grout). I used one cube for the tiles and textured it. Too lazy to create individual tiles. unless that's the only way of course. ;-)

Didn't notice much reflection in the grout, but probably could use some adjustment in the metalacity controller. That way the colors of stuff being reflected don't show too strongly. Also a very slight bump map of some kind might do something for the tile.

OOOPs! Also meant the reflection marker, not just specular. Any non-black part of the alpha channel will reflect depending on its black to white value.

Hmm. Not sure about this (I'm relying on memory), but... If your texture is a black/white image then you should be able to plug it in to the "reflection" channel in the materials editor? So that the amount of reflection is controlled by the texture. Will try myself once I've finished trawling the forums... Cheers, Diolma

Uh-oh, cross-post (nukeboy, you explained it better than I did!).. Cheers. Diolma

hmm..if they were different surfaces..but that would be a lot of work in Bryce..

Well, loads of things to try and Diolma, those tiles look great. I feel a re-render coming on.

Diolma and nukeboy Thanks to both of you for your great explanations! We are all students in the DTE. With permutations of variables that seemingly number in the infinite, a structured explanation is so VERY usefull/insightful. This is what makes the Forum so great.

Spot on nuski, that's what I have done in the past both here and in C4D. works a treat.

dang, no wonder..all this time I've been moving the bubbles through the channels, thinking it affected intensity..;) shows that even an old dog can learn..period..;)

What an epiphany! I like that method a lot.

and if you really need you can put a secondthird or fourth channel in to cover bump or whatever else you need. personnaly i really like the design and function of this interface!

The alpha channel does effect intensity, but that's done with levels of gray. On or off are white and black (unless you have the alpha channel reversed, in which case on and off are black and white). So, you can vary optics and values by using a dot in reflection with an alpha channel containing white, black and shades of gray.

What they said (I was going to get around to that once I worked out what it meant) :-)) A SERIOUS and helpful tut on the mat lab and the DTE is obviously needed. I will try to work on it over the weekend (but I'm still learning, so it will have BIIIG flaws!)

I'm still reading Susan Kitchens' Real World Bryce. She has two chapters on the materials lab and an in-depth look at the DTE. Great stuff! I'm learning tons of new things.

I REALLY must get this book. You all keep going on about it. I tried to order it at work (get a discount), but suppliers say it's out of print. But good old Amazon have a copy. And even a used copy from 19 pounds! Going to America next week, so maybe I'll find a copy there even cheaper.

drawbridge: 19? Go ahead and order a new one, unless the used one includes the CD. Loading in some of the scenes and seeing what makes the "tick" was definitely worth the extra bucks (or quids, as it were!). diolma: Love the tile. Setting numbers!! Noise? Filter? Phase? Details, please!

er, "makes them tick"