Tiling textures and modular rectangular models: Major seam issues!

Joeb333

I am part of a development team on the art side, and specifically environments. I have various building kits that can be mixed and matched.  However rectangular models such as this window have nasty seams. Now the trade off is that the bricks have the appropriate texel density. Previously this was not the case BUT in that case the models were seamless from one to another via uv layout of the wall! 

Seams in the middle. 


Here are the uvs for the wall. The window uvs are comfortably in the 0-1 space.


I could stretch that to the sides to make it seamless, but that would mess with the texel density right? Is there a way to keep the texel density correct but also allow for the wall uvs to blend with each other? 

Joeb333

Additional example of the same material on another building. Various modular building kits will share similar materials with adjustments.  

Clark Coots

You could combine the two walls/windows into one asset that has seamless UVs. Or modify the design of the wall and incorporate something to hide the seam. A column, a pipe, etc.

kio

..or use a triplanar projection shader
..or make the brickswall tile at thrids as well
..or blend in the "other" side - just look at how they did it on dishonored2 http://polycount.com/discussion/184711/dishonored-2-environment-art-dump

just some quick ideas

Obscura

People with their tri-planar projection...

Mark Dygert

I don't think you need expensive shaders rendering a model 3 times, or extra geometry to hide the seam unless you are REALLY married to the brick pattern?

It seems like the way the bricks are stacked/bonded, that they aren't going to tile well. Make your life easier and switch the bond to something simple like "running bond". It tiles down the center of every brick, so you have a lot of opportunities to tile the underlying pattern, horizontally.

Right now it looks like it's using "Third Bond" (or shitty bond) which is a big pain in the ass to make a tile texture out of. You can do it, but it means you have less tile points across your texture sheet. Not only will this constrain the dimensions of your wall sections, each wall section must land on a tile seam. When you have larger sections it gives you less choices to place various sections along that sheet, which affects the tiling variety of your walls also.

With ANY bond you can measure the distance between tile points and set your shader to randomize the UV's offsetting them so you get more variation. With running bond there are more points to tile from.


I would suggest looking into Substance, it is crazy stupid good at this type of thing. 

poopipe

Personally, I'd separate the window from the wall.