PBR Textures for a 3D Character: Realistic Materials
A character with a simple paint job looks flat. Skin shines differently than fabric, metal parts reflect light differently than plastic. PBR textures solve this problem: they describe how each surface interacts with light, which is why the character looks believable under any lighting.
What PBR Is
PBR (Physically Based Rendering) is an approach to materials that takes the physical properties of a surface into account. Instead of a single color, a material is described by a set of maps. Each map is responsible for its own parameter, and together they create a realistic look.
Which Maps Animatic Creates
- Color (Albedo). The base color of the surface without lighting: the color of skin, fabric, paint.
- Relief (Normal). A map of fine details: clothing folds, skin pores, seams. It creates a sense of volume without extra geometry.
- Roughness. Determines how matte or glossy the surface is. Fabric is usually matte; metal is smooth and shiny.
- Metallic. Shows whether an area is metal. This affects how it reflects light.
Why All the Maps Together Matter
Each map on its own gives a limited effect, but together they form a material. For example, a leather jacket gets its color from the albedo map, its fine wrinkles from the normal map and its moderate sheen from the roughness map. Without any one of the maps the result is noticeably worse.
Export to Game Engines
The maps are exported as ready-made sets that connect to a material without manual channel setup. The sets fit popular game engines and 3D packages. More about the model formats — in the article "Export to FBX and GLB".
How to Check the Textures
- Open the model in the viewer and turn it toward the light source.
- Make sure the colors do not look "dirty" or blotchy from the shadows of the source photo.
- Look at how different parts shine: clothing and skin should differ.
Texture Quality and Hardware
High-resolution textures require more video memory. The program lets you choose the level of detail to find a balance between quality and speed.
Tips
- Use a source image with even light, otherwise shadows will end up baked into the color map.
- Don't rely on perfect specular highlights: it is better to tune them in the engine to match the scene's lighting.