[Tutorial] Model Pattern on any Surface (Blender + TexTools)

SnowInChina

i couldn't find any Tutorial on how to model pattern on surfaces, so i had to figure it out.

i guess @renderhjs intention with this function in textools was something like this, so thank you mate

for this you will need blender with the textools addon, i haven't tried it in max, since i don't have a license for it available.

this method works completly nondestructive, so you can alter your patterns on the fly without too much trouble

Here we go:

i have some distortions in my pattern, since i did a planar unwrap (which gives you a straight pattern in exchange for some distortion on the pattern itself)

also the height and the positioning of your pattern is also a factor for distortion, so keep that in mind

Neox

i dont understand. how does your mesh look like when subdivided? looks like a totally different pattern to me?

Eric Chadwick

I think the bottom is just another separate pattern as an example.

Neox

that explains it! haha

i guess something that is a fair bit more different would be less confusing.

i was just like "this subdivides into that? howwww??"

SnowInChina

sorry for the confusion, i'm not a wizzard, everything is normal !

this was just a quick change on the lowpoly, to show off the complete nondestructive workflow

jddg5wa

This is crazy cool. I saw your chair cushion in "What are you working on?" and I am assuming you can easily translate this in the same method to achieve that kind of result?  As in the pattern will wraps around harsher curves just as easily?

But this is really cool, it's like an advanced shrinkwrap.

SnowInChina

the chair was made with this exact same method

and it can wrap around harsher curves, but you should make sure your pattern geometry has nearly the same density as your geometry you are projecting on

its also possible to create pinned vertex groups in your pattern, deform and then use the cloth modifier on the whole geo, works pretty nice

gnoop

Why not just put those  small  bumps  as instances in a center of polygons or vertexes  or use geometry nodes.    And then use data transfer  to transfer UV  and normals from a carrier surface to those bumps .    That way you could make them random or wear them  down in certain places

SnowInChina

because for instancing you would need a completly uniform mesh density, at least as far as i am aware, you would also have only floater above the surface, here you have a complete surface without holes (you could do floaters if you wanted)

this method can be used for anything, not just bumps, every geometric pattern can be transfered, it doesnt need to tile,

you could make  a complete unique pattern and wrap it