Hello everyone,
This is part 1 of a tutorial series on how to create raytraced water using the default scanline renderer.
NOTE: This will NOT look like realistic water under every circumstance. This will only work in an enclosed area as the water material is a reflection map; which means that it is based on what is around it. In an open area, please refer to my other upcoming tutorial on mental ray water (ocean) on rendering water using mental ray.
In the first part of this tutorial, the modeling and texturing process is covered in detail, starting with the creation of a proxy model inside of 3DS max. During this stage we will block out the tower structure using simple geometry and then go through the process of adding resolution and detail, creating an aged weathered look. We’ll make use of some simple poly modeling techniques as well as Max’s paint deformation tools to create the desired effect.