How to Transform Photos Into 3D Textures?

You all know that 3D models look better when textured, but what if you could convert 2D images into 3D textures? In this tutorial, they’ll show you how to convert any image into 3D texturing that can be used as part of a 3D model.

Converting the Layers into Planes

The first step is to convert the layers into planes. This will be done by converting each layer into a plane, one at a time. There are two ways of doing so:

• Selecting all layers, right-clicking and choosing New Plane from Selected Layers in the context menu; or
• Using a Layer Mask (which is similar to leaving an area free of paint when painting).

Adding Normals

• To add normals to the planes, you will need to use special UVs that are aligned with the plane’s normal.
• To add normals to the planes, you will need to use special UVs that are aligned with the plane’s normal.
• In this example, you are going to create a normal map from a photo and apply it as a texture on top of your 3D object.

The first step is defining which edges should be considered as “edges” when creating your normal map by clicking on New in Edit Mode or hitting N and entering “normals.” But before you start doing anything else, let’s go back into Object Mode so you can see what kind of objects you’re dealing with here:

Adding Texture Coordinates

Texture coordinates are used to map the images onto 3D objects. Depending on how you want to work with your texture files, they can be added manually or automatically.

If you have a lot of photos where each photo represents one layer in your 3D object, then you can add texture coordinates manually by selecting each layer and adding them from the UV Maps tab (shown below). For example, suppose you have fewer photos that cover multiple layers in an object. In that case, it’s helpful to add all of your textures at once as well as any necessary UV maps for each image group, so that all of your images are ready for use when modeling begins.

Applying Textures & Materials

If you’re new to Blender, be sure to check out this tutorial on how to apply textures and materials. For this purpose, the most important thing is that you create a UV-mapped plane and apply the UV layout that was previously created in GIMP. In order for you to use it as an animated texture, you must first place it in the scene. According to Adobe Substance 3D experts, “An artfully crafted 3D character might be beautiful, or it might be monstrous — but it will above all be idiosyncratic, its personality apparent at a glance.

Hopefully, this article has given you a better understanding of how to work with textures in Blender. It’s not as hard as it might seem at first glance! And remember: even if you don’t know how to use all the different tools described above, there are still plenty of ways to create amazing texture effects using just two or three of them. So get out there and experiment!