Material Types

There are seven types of materials available in OctaneRender.

DiffuseAmount of diffusion, or the reflection of light photons at different angles from an uneven or granular surface. Used for dull, non-reflecting materials or mesh emitters. — Used for dull, non-reflecting materials or mesh emitters.
GlossyThe measure of how well light is reflected from a surface in the specular direction, the amount and way in which the light is spread around the specular direction, and the change in specular reflection as the specular angle changes. Used for shiny materials such as plastics or metals. — Used for shiny materials such as plastics or metals.
SpecularAmount of specular reflection, or the mirror-like reflection of light photons at the same angle. Used for transparent materials such as glass and water. — Used for transparent materials such as glass and water.
Metallic - Similar to the Glossy materialUsed for shiny materials such as plastics or metals. except, by default, it exhibits more metal-like characteristics.
Mix — Used to mix any two material types.
PortalA technique that assists the render kernel with exterior light sources that illuminate interiors. In interior renderings with windows, it is difficult for the path tracer to find light from the outside environment and optimally render the scene. Portals are planes that are added to the scene with the Portal material applied to them. — Used to designate openings in scenes to allow the render kernel to better sample light from those areas. The Portal material is covered in more detail in the Lighting section.
Toon - Used to design hand-drawn looking surfaces.

However, the most commonly used materials are the Diffuse , Glossy , Specular, and Metallic (figure 1). The Mix material is often used to blend any combination of these material together to provide deeper surface characteristics.

MaterialTypes_Fig01_C4D_v3_08

Figure 1: The four most commonly used Octane materials; Diffuse, Glossy, Specular, and Metallic.

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