Episode 102
Episode 102 – More Realistic Texturing
by Richard Querin
In this episode, I demonstrate how to apply a more realistic looking texture to an object using Inkscape 0.46.
Using typography as an example, and with the help of The Gimp’s Render Cloud tool, I show how to turn a ho-hum texture into something a little more natural looking. While I show an example with text, you could use this sort of treatment with any sort of object you’d like to apply a texture to. Even more generally, using a cloudy mask like this is only one solution. You could generate all kinds of other masks in something like the Gimp (or your bitmap editor of choice) and other sorts of effects to your textures.
I also show how to create a faked spotlighting effect using simple ellipses, gradients and blurs, which can make the drop shadows a little more convincing but it all depends on what you’re after.
The font I used for this episode is called League Gothic and can be found at The League of Moveable Type. And of course, for the cloud mask you can download the Gimp at gimp.org or install it from your repository if you don’t already have it.
Hopefully over the next little while I can get more up to speed on Inkscape 0.47 and all it’s new features. For now though, 0.46 will do. 
I hope everyone has a great holiday season and we will undoubtedly see you in 2010!
Tags: gimp, metal, rust, text, textures, typography, wood, woodgrain
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:56 am
[...] Episode 102 is now up. This episode demonstrates one way of achieving more realistic looking textures in Inkscape. [...]
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 am
That was a pretty neat Gimp/Masking technique. I’ll have to try to work that into my stuff.
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
A great overview, as usual. You reminded me that bitmaps can be used in clipping and masking (even for multiples) in Inkscape, which is nice. I wonder if you guys might be interested in doing an in-depth on Tiled Clones, which I think is one of the richest toolkits in Inkscape for doing random placements, but also one of the least understood. Then again, it could just be me.
December 24th, 2009 at 4:03 am
nice episode again. love your casts, because i can follow them with my few knowledge of english ^^
greetings from germany and merry christmas and a happy new year
December 26th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Seasons Greetings Guys (late:I)
Just astonishing work as is usual for both of you…
I thought 102 was Blender stuff at first glance.
Heck it’s Inkscape & Gimp – Wow what a result.
I’m off to give it a go now…
Happy New Year (early)
January 2nd, 2010 at 4:53 am
Well done! And a blessed new year. Your screen-casts are really helpful.
What about a series of screen-casts depicting what can be done with the new tools in 0.47.
Thanks again, specially love the light effect.
January 6th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Hello, Happy New Years Guys, I love your tutorials are very usefull, I’ve done it, here the results and other examples [0].
I write since Venezuela, always I follow your posts, look my last post in my blog [1], about my participation in a contest of my country, I did a poster about cultural diversity with Inkscape, I don’t win but the partcipation and the experience are very important for me.
Greetings
[0] http://picasaweb.google.com/syralg/JugandoHacerEfectos#5423313018991458306
Others examples:
http://picasaweb.google.com/syralg/JugandoHacerEfectos#5423378204779416594
http://picasaweb.google.com/syralg/JugandoHacerEfectos#5423408820067546258
[1] http://syralg.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/participacion-en-concurso-un-cartel-por-la-diversidad-cultural/
January 6th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
@Syra Lacruz
Nice work!
January 6th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Great stuff Syra! I like the icy cold one. Where did you get the texture for that one?
January 7th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Hello Richard, I’m glad that you like it, I found a page about textures [0] that redirected me to devianart is an image licensed under Creative Commons [1].
[0] http://www.noupe.com/texture/50-high-resolution-textures-tutorials-and-resources.html
[1] http://mayah-stock.deviantart.com/art/unwanted-texture-46161143
Greetings
January 7th, 2010 at 9:48 am
@Syra – Thanks for the links. Some really nice stuff available there.
January 25th, 2010 at 7:12 am
hai screencasters heathnex I am very happy to inkscape
very good tutorials I get it so i am learning to more interesting inksacpe
March 31st, 2010 at 6:48 am
Hi there! Thanks for this great episode. I have given it a shot in .47 and this is my resulting image.
http://martinamca.blogspot.com/2010/03/pasl-metin-yapmak.html
March 31st, 2010 at 7:21 am
@martinamca
Not bad.
March 31st, 2010 at 7:49 am
@heathenx, thanks.
I also discovered that, if you apply bump filters (at least three of them -emboss, thick paint, thick acrylic- in the list can be applied nicely) in Inkscape .47 to this image, you can achieve not too bad photo-realistic results, kind of blender bump maps. Check out second image in my post.
Lately, I have wondering, how can i use these filters more effectively. A little bit of a discovery kind of thing to me.
March 31st, 2010 at 8:30 am
@martinamca
I feel the same way about filters. Most of the time it’s trial and error and little tweaking to get something satisfactory. I often forget about the filters since I’m so used to doing things manually to achieve some kind of effect. Regardless, I’m grateful that they are there.
April 10th, 2010 at 6:04 am
Hi heathenx,
i couldn’t watch this episode. Right after the logo animation it just stays black and mute till the very end.
However all other episodes show up just fine.
Thank you anyway! Great tutorials!
Best regards,
Alexander
April 10th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
@Termin8
I don’t know what to tell you. It works fine for me in WinXP and Ubutnu 9.10 using Firefox 3.6x with flash. Richard had some issues with the OGV so the flash video is being used instead. The OGV can only be downloaded and then watched offline at this point. Sorry.
April 11th, 2010 at 5:26 am
Thanks Heathenx,
sorry, didn’t think about downloading this particular episode. I did it and it works just fine, so do other downloaded episodes.
Thank you!
Regards,
Alexander
June 23rd, 2010 at 11:44 am
I like this tutorial very much. THX!
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