Blender Tutorial: Photorealistic Puddles

[@MhLiMz]

It is so generous of you to put out tutorials for free every now and then, and you don't even include a lot of Poliigon advertisements.

[@CZghost]

Not only that, Blender itself is actually free and open-source. It only makes sense to make tutorials for Blender free of charge.

[@sicfxmusic]

@@CZghost LMAO

[@christianemden7637]

@@CZghost that doesn’t diminish the time Andrew puts into those. So saying thank you doesn’t hurt anybody.

[@btn237]

@@CZghost Blender is free to the end user, but the organisation requires enormous sums of money to operate. Just as an example.. the Blender development fund takes in around 167,000 euros per month. So I'd instead say - it makes sense to release Blender tutorials for free if it makes sense for that individual i.e they can afford to do it somehow.

[@randomi1214]

@@CZghostc

[@mangoesfly1594]

When I first learned of Blender back in January of last year, I was blown away. Your donut tutorial launched me into months of fun learning the software. Thanks for all you've done for us amateur artists!

[@markflakezCG]

While some may prefer a simpler tutorial that only covers how to make the puddles I appreciate the depth and detail you included in this tutorial. You thoroughly explained every aspect and provided various ways to enhance realism. Overall, great job on the tutorial!

[@rgbforever4561]

The thing is, this way you won't learn the process behind it. (That is crucial to learn blender)

[@DumbArtStick]

@@rgbforever4561 fr. No one teaches the theory behind it :(

[@moonrivers71]

@markflakez Yes, I agree. And I just came to this video from one of his where he does a tutorial on creating an interior in 9 minutes…and a lot of people get on his case for that not being detailed enough and an advert for Polligon. People get real. This guy is awesome.

[@pZq_]

Your way of explaining complicated things is superior. Thank you for doing this!

[@globglob3D]

If anyone is curious (taken from wikipedia): - Overlay combines Multiply and Screen blend modes. Where the base layer is light, the top layer becomes lighter; where the base layer is dark, the top becomes darker; where the base layer is mid grey, the top is unaffected. - Color Burn mode divides the inverted bottom layer by the top layer, and then inverts the result. This darkens the top layer increasing the contrast to reflect the color of the bottom layer. The darker the bottom layer, the more its color is used.

[@gurratell7326]

Both Overlay and Color Burn clamps stuff between 0 and 1 as well. Overlay do a soft clamp while Color Burn does a hard clamp. What Blender Guru wants to use in this instance is Linear Light since it does the same as Overlay except without the clamping.

[@ChrisD__]

Acerola has a few videos that go into how these work, including Bright/Contrast. They're very technical & math heavy, but they're incredibly helpful for writing shaders in Blender.

[@Arcangel0723]

@@ChrisD__ came here to say this! Acerola is amazing

[@esomos_org]

have a good day sir. class Color { public: int r, g, b, a; enum { OVERLAY, LIGHTENED, DARKENED }; Color& mix(const Color& input_color, int BlendMode) { switch (BlendMode) { case OVERLAY: r = (input_color.r < 128) ? (2 * r * input_color.r) / 255 : 255 - 2 * (255 - r) * (255 - input_color.r) / 255; g = (input_color.g < 128) ? (2 * g * input_color.g) / 255 : 255 - 2 * (255 - g) * (255 - input_color.g) / 255; b = (input_color.b < 128) ? (2 * b * input_color.b) / 255 : 255 - 2 * (255 - b) * (255 - input_color.b) / 255; break; case LIGHTENED: r = std::min(r + input_color.r, 255); g = std::min(g + input_color.g, 255); b = std::min(b + input_color.b, 255); break; case DARKENED: r = std::max(r - input_color.r, 0); g = std::max(g - input_color.g, 0); b = std::max(b - input_color.b, 0); break; default: break; } return *this; } };

[@nico-s5k]

I started using Blender in the late 2020's, learned from the donut series. Today, 2 years later, I still learn a lot of things with this guy. Awesome tutorial Andrew!

[@umb3rto641]

we're not even in the mid of 2020s yet, just so you know hah

[@mA-pg4wu]

@@umb3rto641 +1

[@mesh8349]

@@umb3rto641 😂

[@Ryxles_YT]

So you're telling me I know how to make realistic puddles but don't know how to move around the camera in blender 🤣

[@rosarielle7275]

Wait i need to know too, someome please tell me how to move that damn camera

[@eeabu]

@@rosarielle7275 click camera press g

[@roe.num77]

​@@rosarielle7275open the side menu by pressing n, in the view tab, enable camera to view option, now your cam move your camera with your mouse cursor( while you are in the camera view)

[@AsherIsbrucker]

Perfect timing for this tutorial. I'm designing an album cover in 3D that includes a bunch of puddles on a street. The way I did it at first was to displace a plane with a noise texture as the street, then just intersect another flat plane with a water texture applied so that it "filled" the divets in the road plane. Needless to say this method is miles ahead, really stoked to use it. Thanks for the great explanation as usual!

[@TheWeirdSide1]

After a month of headaces, insomnia, hair loss (from pulling out), n-gon nightmares(when I did sleep), eye fatigue, existental crisis, and a few trips to hell, I finally got a basic grasp of the Blender layout/tools/settings... Before that I found the Guru's videos to be cause of insanity as I tried to keep up with multi-layered tips and the overall education racing across a complex alien landscape. Some channels were worse, but some shorter videos proved effective to ease me into the new world of 3D. Now that I've crossed those first hurdles, this channel is incredibly useful for continued improvement and insight, and the style, humor, and overall character is a true treasure!

[@razeezar]

"Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty." - Derek Zoolander

[@Spy1330]

ok.

[@vladartiomav2473]

And the wetness of a beauty is a result of overstimulation 😂

[@deadbushlover3511]

Tell that to the geys.

[@vladartiomav2473]

@@deadbushlover3511 😂😂

[@coffee-vz1nr]

I just want to thank u for all the work u have done for this community. You are amazing and a great inspiration to anyone getting into blender.

[@Fractal_CZ]

I'm working with 3D since 1993, professionally since 1999. Yet, I find your videos extremely useful, inspiring and educational. Subscribed and learning :)

[@HunterL850]

You sir have read my mind. I was observing wet roads earlier while catching public transport on a late rainy night. The amount of detail that you would have to simulate to replicate multiple cars flinging water at a high velocity is mind boggling.

[@hapexzm]

Thanks so much for these clear tuts, as a complete noob I found Blender to be quite a steep learning curve at first but like most things the more you learn the quicker / easier it gets

[@CodySherrill-r9r]

I love that you go into technical reasoning behind why our eye perceives things scientifically instead of saying "we need this dark area."

[@almicc]

Putting in a little more effort to match reality goes a very long way, I would say that is probably the greatest lesson from this tutorial. Simple is fast and conveys the idea, but completely unmatched to a smarter set up that takes only a few more minutes to make.

[@kus42]

Tutorials like this excel at demonstrating ways in which certain things can be achieved, and impart some of the thought processes and experience that went into the process; use them for guidance and inspiration, but there is simply no substitute for your own hands-on work and experimentation: Only through actual doing are you going to build your own skills.

[@vianart3d]

As a long-time Blender user, I gained a lot of enlightenment through this tutorial. So far I have only made puddles of water using simple methods, combining two types of materials, namely dry conditions and flooded conditions, using Noise Texture as Masking, but after seeing this tutorial, I got a new understanding.

[@nahiyanalamgir7056]

And a lot of people thought it'd involve fluid simulation, haha. This method on painting the puddles is so amazing!

[@shaharklinger]

Great tutorial, thank you for taking the time to do it. Regarding the explanation at 10:30 about why the concrete looks darker. It's actually caused by something else: a rough surface (such as concrete) will reflect light in all directions. Some of the illuminant's light (e.g. the sun) will reflect off it and hit your eyes, and a lot of the ambient light (e.g. the sky) will also reflect and hit your eyes. The result is a bright mix of sun and sky. A polished surface, such as a concrete with a layer of water on it, will reflect light in a much more concentrated way. Not much of the ambient light will reflect back to your eyes. The result may be a darker color, depending on where you stand and what is being reflected off the surface. It might actually be brighter than the surrounding matte surface (e.g. the sun reflecting directly off the water).

[@rafi030303]

I really would like more tutorials from Andrew, the way he's talking and explaining things make me wanna use blender more with every second. I guess that's the way you talk about things when you are really passionate about it.

[@halfbee7886]

If anyone deserves the title “guru” more than anyone, it’s this guy.

[@PaladinVII]

21:43 THIS! THIS THIS THIS! THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! THIS IS HOW YOU GET WEIGHT PAINT IN THE SHADER EDITOR!!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN HUNTING FOR THIS SOLUTION!!! YOU ARE THE CHAMP OF BLENDER!!! THANK YOU!!!

[@anottee]

Man i have picked up blender and thrown it out 4 times over the past several years, only to get frustrated to the point i threw my PC out the window, i discover your donut video recently through several hundred references from other KZbinrs and i was amazed by how you made me realize i was making everything harder then it needed to be and i am so psyched to give this a try. Thank you for giving me an outlet while while i was couch locked due to a broken ankle and helping me finally chase a dream.

[@joshuahenn6498]

Thank you for your service to the whole community! Don´t know where we would be without you haha

[@Soulsphere001]

Thank you for all your free tutorials, Blender Guru. I first heard about you in 2013, from a classmate, when I was first learning about Blender and I'm glad he told me about you.

[@AndrewPace77]

I've been watching your tutorials since 2009 or so, and I have to say, they just get better. Thanks for sharing your expertise, as always. :)

[@Nitroburner01]

One of the reason I liked Jackie Chans Police Story 3 (Supercop) so much was seeing Michelle Yeoh hanging on a truck in traffic, jumping off onto a moving car, and driving a motorcycle on a moving train. Clearly seeing the actors faces (before CGI face replacement existed) while doing stunts made this movie so much more real and enjoyable to watch.

[@vampirehunter9303]

OMG!! THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL. YOU REALLY ARE GURU !!! ALWAYS KEEPS ON GIVING TO THE BLENDER SOCIETY.

[@loverrlee]

Wow how does someone even go about figuring all this out?? I’m brand new to Blender (did the donut!) but this is wild that people can think and figure out how to use all these nodes together to get something that looks realistic! Very impressive! I don’t know how you figured it all out, but it looks great! 😂

[@bhavishyaparmar2651]

I had this same reaction a year ago😄........but its pretty simple just keep watching tuts like these and you'll eventually start understanding

[@ali32bit42]

Its pretty easy once you know shadee fundementals and how all the nodes work

[@shivanshsoni4242]

I always afraid of geo nodes but when i found out they work like maths it gets easy to use. I tried experimenting different things on them and messed up so many time but now i know a good use of them. ✌️

[@christendombaffler]

Time and passion. You have to want to learn these things and then apply them in your own way to your projects. I haven't progressed past the very early stages because I'm lacking on both fronts and still only treating it as a tentative hobby, but the few moments when I had both also doubled as the ones when I learned the most by far.

[@baldpolnareff7224]

Math is key

[@energystrong]

For the multiply mix with the vertex paint since it's a multiply you don't need to put the attribute in A and the noise texture in B specifically (Since A x B = B x A, so the order does not matter) But you should put the noise texture in A because A in the input blender passes through when you mute the mix node. meaning that by muting the node you get rid of the vertex color masking if you don't want to use it.

[@remrucgi]

I really appreciate the way you break down complex topics into manageable steps and provide helpful tips along the way ❤

[@FunnyAmprsar]

Dude I literally just was thinking about making a scene and one of the key thing was puddles. Now, I got it from the best artist I know. Also, we need more tutorials like the Cabin

[@dslynx]

Yup, you are an excellent teacher. I just installed Blender on a low end machine and was able to follow this tutorial without much trouble. Hardest thing for me was figuring out how to turn on the "sidebar" to get the tabs.

[@HeadShotHarp]

I just read your latest newsletter about Apples Vision Pro and the possible future of VR. That was a very interesting article and I just wanted to thank you for all the insights you provide that I was just enjoying silently over the last years. Thank you.

[@bogxd]

I just randomly got recommended this video (never used blender ever) and couldn't help but watch it all

[@michaelmansell8498]

Decided to pick blender back up again this last week, and so happy your still making videos. Great explanations. THANK YOU

[@Pollutens]

I've never even edited video or used blender and I was fascinated by this tutorial.

[@dmi3413]

Generally considered myself fairly well versed in material creation and I still learned a few things from this. Thanks!

[@Andy_Shust]

Andrew, you are King! You not only teach, you also inspire to move on, to learn and improve. Thank you for every second of your videos!

[@patwood7745]

IMHOP this is one of the best videos you have produced and that is saying a lot, because I like all of your videos :-).

[@debadityanath4398]

i cant believe that decreasing the roughness give this good of an effect for wetness

[@Al_KR_t]

You could probably also use all the textures that mask wetness into displacement so that actual geometry has small pits where puddles are and small hills where dry land is

[@jmac217x]

well done. I was getting most of the way there with my materials lately but the couple of techniques you demonstrated really shed light on some of the more intricate processes I am now starting to be aware of. I feel like water is a big thing that anyone can tell is right or wrong but not a lot of people can say what is right or wrong about it like you broke down in your references

[@TY_Blender]

22:42 Shift+K -> Ctrl+X // Menu : 'Paint' -> 'Set Vertex Colors'

[@21hawk21]

you are my hero, thank you

[@ballashoes]

So glad you're alive

[@Kenjineering]

I love your smiling head in your thumbnails mate! Great tutorial! Love the energy! Keep it up! Thank you!

[@gottagowork]

Keep in mind that dielectrics will have their specularity value significantly reduced if submerged in water. Take a bubble wrap, plastic bag, or clearly shiny dielectric material and submerge it in the sink, and you'll see the shininess go almost completely away. This will not happen to noticeable effect on conductors (metals). Reducing bumpiness is technically a hack that just happens to do an "okay enough" job on some types of surfaces.

[@jellybean5929]

I hope to one day make banger tutorials like this. Information should be free and accessible like this.

[@walt436]

Thanks!! You’re lookin so much healthier!

[@sharkehuk]

Wow, you got through the whole video without saying moist. I don't know whether to be impressed or upset. Either way I enjoyed the tutorial, thanks!

[@AleeyuYarima-hp8zh]

Best blender tutor I’ve seen so far on KZbin. Keep up the good work andrew👏🏽

[@kemonoshift]

thanks for actually explaining what each nodes are and what theyre doing, im new to blender and thats very helpful :>

[@coralineyang46]

Every time I think yay this works, this looks about right, you're like "but something's still missing" XD. Great tutorial and I really appreciate how you go into the detailed reasons behind things!

[@sm-np7xg]

welcome back

[@Squish_Squash]

I don't even use blender, this was just fun to watch

[@sl33pyizzy]

sameee at first i was curious how cgi worked and here i am 3 hours later binging every single vid i can 😂

[@sottozen]

A fantastic tutorial, so much information here. Big Thank you!

[@jameshetfield159]

I think the day before the final exam is the worst time to discover you as I've been sitting watching you for three hours now while my work still waits 🤐

[@MrRamzapr]

thanks man you are the one how got me to use Blender and all this CGI community

[@the_tunez]

this is dope! Now I can pay for the Poliigon subscription in Reais (Brazil's currency), I'm gonna absolutely demolish these material tuts! Thanks a bunch dude, you're the G.O.A.T.!

[@spasticjackson9578]

Your chair and your shirt are similar colors. It looks like you are HUGE. You have superhero shoulders. I can't un-see it. 0:46

[@mobinvaryan7196]

another blender guru tutorial a blessing from the lord. thanks man

[@DesignerGeek2525]

Unbelievable, You used the nodes in an effective way! 😮😍

[@arealist8913]

Man! Your voice has so much depth!

[@palpytine]

Two things.... 1) This should probably be done using clearcoat instead of roughness to make it more physically accurate. 2) The main difference between the various brightening/darkening blend modes is usually how they behave in clipping scenarios at the extremes of light and dark

[@OttrPopAnimations]

wow!! this is such a quality tutorial. were so lucky to have you, Guru...

[@richNfit4life]

Positively brilliant! For me, however, I’ll call it “Puddled-Wetness”. Thank you so much for that.

[@omf-arch1765]

Well done, magnificent I can now creat a photorealistic rain 🌧️ environment. Very nice.

[@vladizt5943]

Good old andrew and shader node tutorial, always very helpful.

[@whynotanyting]

Every time I go outside after rain I always wanted to recreate puddles because they just give a sense of "freshness". Unfortunately, I'm not great with shaders. Thank you!

[@-jxvi]

DUDE you just solved every problem I've had with every other puddle tutorial. There's always something slightly off with every single one.

[@imjody]

Yeah, this is simply REMARKABLE, man. Like truly. Thank you so much for this. Insane.

[@jarekczarniak1122]

a very cool theme to create an animation of a growing puddle in the rain

[@matinkabiri]

Stop Responding Color burn and overlay are two types of blending modes that can be used to combine two layers of colors. Color burn darkens the base colors and increases the contrast to reflect the color of the blending layer. Overlay multiplies or screens the colors depending on the base color, creating a contrast effect.

[@petier184]

our guru is back with new videos🙏

[@SUVO_RAW]

Thanks for another perfectly working tool and knowledge, your complex yeat easy to understand tutorials is the best thing in the world of 3D

[@maximkrioukov4597]

Your tutorials are always masterpieces! Thank you Sir!

[@curhob]

Just fyi, the only reason it works to use blue as a normal is that the surface is pointing directly up. The problem is that if you were to create physical bumps across this plane that means it doesn’t point straight up anymore, but your shader is still treating the surface as if it is. Also, because black doesn’t point anywhere, you can’t represent a normal that points down, left or back. What you would actually want to do in this case is to set the mix type to Vector, then use Input > Geometry > Normal as the second input. If you just viewed the output of that on a sphere, one octant would appear black. This is because all 3 axes corresponding to RGB can’t be represented because they are all in negative range. That will give you negative numbers if down, left, or back.

[@TomMAF4]

When you say second input, do you mean B? I find that this doesn't look any different to if the mix node wasn't even there. Looks significantly different to using the mix colour node even if it only works on flat surfaces. Any idea where I'm going wrong with this please?

[@Vanalleswa]

thanks a lot for your great videos!! i really enjoy the long tutorial series!

[@Sergio_Montana]

god is back

[@jmalmsten]

I did buy a book called The Art and Science of Digital Compositing. A very dry book that I read from cover to cover. A good chunk of it was dedicated to listing and explaining the maths of each blending mode. I recommend buying it if dear reader has the same odd interests as me.

[@OnePatrix]

Andrew new Tutorial? its simply a must watch

[@udaracs5580]

this is the best puddle tutorial out there!

[@micah6861]

You are still doing the most amazing tutorials 🥰 Thank you!

[@sixeight-design193]

Finally i found the tutorial puddle water , thanks!

[@speedy19085]

i remember when you was asking your audience what they think about you growing a beard .... your current look is absolutely decent. weird how it comes to mind so randomly but i had to get this out :D

[@TheSamucacs]

Always nice to see your tutorials!

[@SanOcelotl]

Another banger of a tutorial from the goat

[@WilliamGray2020]

this man is back!!!!OMG

[@PolyCharmStudios]

Blender Guru is goated

[@Storyx1]

Really cool ! Thanks for the tutorial 👏

[@carlosespinal3645]

Thank you teacher, keep transmitting your knowledge

[@MaknaOnlineStore]

You're Awesome Man! Very clear and enjoyable the way you explain things. I can't imagine being able to do what you do. I'm very grateful to have found your channel. Very happy to subscribe. Thank you!

[@Domzdream]

Even though Blender drives me bat crap insane, I’ll use this. Thank you.

[@breaneainn]

Cool! Even works with the RGB channels for displacement. Wet asphalt with some pooled water. Cheers!

[@koigamer7352]

very nice! A year ago i did a similar (lazy) effect just using noise textures and color ramps. It was looking okayish but not super realistic. This takes it to the next level.

[@BensMiniToons]

Is his videos still just a ad for his paid plugins and textures? I used to love this guy. ='[

[@pa_artiffect]

Mannn please make more of these realistic/realism videos.😊

[@alivetutors]

Multiply mode means top layer darkness will be multiplied to bottom layer while Screen means top layer lightness will multiply with bottom layer values. In Multiply, top black will overpower bottom layer while in Screen, the Top white will overpower bottom layer. In Overlay, the deviation from Grey is multiplied to botoom layer values. If it is lighter, it will create lighter shades of bottom layer while if it is darker than 50% grey, it will make bottom layer darker. So Overlay basically increases contrast of bottom layer depending on the data from top layer. If top layer in overlay mode is grey, it will have no effect on bottom layer, While both White and black on top layer with overlay will affaect bottom layer.

[@alivetutors]

A very useful video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6TYnICOqaqMfLM

[@lstwo.]

12:22 "When it gets darker, its dark" Ahh yes very informational