godfather
Well-Known Member
I was just wondering at what scale do you folks think its necessary to start texturing armour, clothes etc?
texturing at what scale?
- Thread starter godfather
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Einion
A Fixture
That's a good question, I presume you're referring to real 3-D texture? As with anything 'scale distance' should be taken into account to some extent, so if you can't see it on the original from a couple of metres away then don't worry about it.
With fabrics, if you were painting a heavy, coarse-weave wool such as a cloak might be made of in the early mediaeval period, then I would add texture from about 1/32 scale and up, since you can clearly see the actual texture from a couple of body-lengths away. With a woollen fabric such as 19th c. uniform coats or WWII British BD, I would ignore its texture until you reach maybe 1/16 and even then I would just paint a simulation of it, if at all.
With plate armour there was no actual texture in the great majority of cases, only very crude pieces would have had any tool marks left after manufacture. Weathering effects, which tend to form irregular, 'organic' patterns of oxidation on the skin of the steel, wouldn't be uncommon in the field for those of lower rank, especially on long campaigns. Stippling with black and earths simulates this very well but still aim for a smooth surface at any scale - you can barely see any physical texture if you hold the item in your hand. For the nobility it's unlikely that their armour would be allowed to rust, regular cleaning and maintenance was probable given their cost, even on campaign.
Einion
With fabrics, if you were painting a heavy, coarse-weave wool such as a cloak might be made of in the early mediaeval period, then I would add texture from about 1/32 scale and up, since you can clearly see the actual texture from a couple of body-lengths away. With a woollen fabric such as 19th c. uniform coats or WWII British BD, I would ignore its texture until you reach maybe 1/16 and even then I would just paint a simulation of it, if at all.
With plate armour there was no actual texture in the great majority of cases, only very crude pieces would have had any tool marks left after manufacture. Weathering effects, which tend to form irregular, 'organic' patterns of oxidation on the skin of the steel, wouldn't be uncommon in the field for those of lower rank, especially on long campaigns. Stippling with black and earths simulates this very well but still aim for a smooth surface at any scale - you can barely see any physical texture if you hold the item in your hand. For the nobility it's unlikely that their armour would be allowed to rust, regular cleaning and maintenance was probable given their cost, even on campaign.
Einion
