Diffuse Color

Design Course

Basic Texturing - Part - 2

Level: Introductory

Diffuse Color

The colour of an object is perhaps the most simplest property to understand. In part 1 you have seen examples of this (the earth, milk carton, tin can). But besides colour, it is also important to see how this colour texture reacts to light falling on it or in other words how it ‘diffuses’ the light to produce the colour and shading of the surface. So the diffuse property deals with the colors of the surface and the intensity with which it is illuminated by light falling on it.

In this picture, there are two similar objects. One on the right appears darker than the one on the left. This is because it diffuses less light as compared to the other.

Keep in mind that the diffuse property is not just the colour texture of the object, but also how bright this colour appears when lit. This shading is what gives it the 3D appearance. It is perhaps the first and most important step in ‘rendering’ good 3D images.

Some of the light that falls on the surface tends to get reflected back. This produces the effect of highlights on the object. Let’s have a closer look to understand the nature of these highlights. There are two main properties of the surface material that are responsible for this, specularity and glossiness.

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Basic Texturing - Part - 2