Using FlakesTexture for enhanced realism in ThreeJS

When creating visually compelling 3D objects, adding textures can significantly enhance realism. One such texture that adds detail and depth to materials is FlakesTexture, which can simulate the appearance of surfaces like metallic paint or car coatings. This texture is part of the THREE.js library and works in conjunction with MeshPhysicalMaterial to create surfaces with a glittery, metallic effect.

What is FlakesTexture?

FlakesTexture is a procedural texture that simulates tiny, metallic flakes embedded within a surface. This texture is particularly useful for materials that need a metallic, speckled look, such as car paint, glossy plastics, or high-tech surfaces. The texture works with the clearcoat property of MeshPhysicalMaterial to give the appearance of depth and reflection, simulating the real-world effect of light interacting with the micro flakes.

How Does FlakesTexture Work?

The FlakesTexture generates random noise that represents small, reflective flakes scattered across a surface. These flakes add subtle variations in the surface’s reflection and color, creating a layered look when combined with materials like car paint.

In Three.js, you can use the FlakesTexture along with the MeshPhysicalMaterial to apply this effect. The clearcoat and clearcoatNormalMap properties of the material allow you to layer the texture on top of the base material, resulting in a complex reflective surface.

Using FlakesTexture in Three.js

Let’s break down how to implement FlakesTexture in your Three.js scene.

Step 1: Setting up the Scene

Before we begin integrating HDR environment maps and textures, we need to set up the Three.js essentials: the scene, renderer, camera, and controls.

import * as THREE from "three";
import { OrbitControls } from "three/examples/jsm/controls/OrbitControls";
import { FlakesTexture } from "three/examples/jsm/FlakesTexture.js"; 
import { RGBELoader } from "three/examples/jsm/RGBELoader.js";

let scene = new THREE.Scene();
let renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({ alpha: true, antialias: true });
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
let camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera( 50, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 1, 1000 );
let controls = new OrbitControls(camera, renderer.domElement);

Step 2: Adding Lighting

For realistic shading, we add a PointLight to the scene. This simulates a point source of light:

let pointlight = new THREE.PointLight(0xffffff, 1);
pointlight.position.set(200, 200, 200);
scene.add(pointlight);

The light is positioned at (200, 200, 200) to illuminate the scene.

Step 3: Using RGBELoader for Environment Mapping

To achieve realistic lighting and reflections, we use RGBELoader to load an .hdr file. This file is an environment map that provides high dynamic range (HDR) lighting:

new RGBELoader()
 .setPath('textures/')
 .load('small_empty_room_1_4k.hdr', (texture) => {
  texture.mapping = THREE.EquirectangularReflectionMapping;
  scene.background = texture;
  scene.environment = texture;
 });

Step 4: Adding the FlakesTexture

FlakesTexture simulates small metallic flakes embedded in materials, often used for car paint or similar surfaces with a glittery effect. Here’s how to integrate it into a material:

const flakesTexture = new FlakesTexture(512); // Create FlakesTexture
const texture = new THREE.CanvasTexture(flakesTexture); // Use as a canvas texture
texture.wrapS = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
texture.wrapT = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
texture.repeat.x = 10;
texture.repeat.y = 6;

• FlakesTexture(512) generates a procedural texture at 512×512 resolution.
• CanvasTexture is used to wrap the flakes texture, which allows it to be treated like a regular image-based texture.
• RepeatWrapping enables the texture to tile across the surface.

Step 5: Creating a Reflective Material with Flakes

We can now apply the FlakesTexture to a material using MeshPhysicalMaterial. This material type allows us to utilize features like clearcoat and metallic reflections:

cubeMaterial = new THREE.MeshPhysicalMaterial({
  color: 0xff0000, // Red color
  metalness: 0.9,
  roughness: 0.5,
  clearcoat: 1.0,
  clearcoatRoughness: 0.1,
  clearcoatNormalMap: texture, // Use the FlakesTexture as a normal map
  normalScale: new THREE.Vector2(0.1, 0.1),
});

• clearcoat gives the material a glossy top layer, simulating a car paint finish.
• clearcoatNormalMap uses the flakes texture to create a bumpy surface that reflects light differently.
• normalScale adjusts the intensity of the bump effect created by the normal map.

Step 6: Rendering and Animation

Finally, the animate function handles the rendering and updating of the scene, camera, and controls:

function animate() {
  controls.update();
  renderer.render(scene, camera);
  requestAnimationFrame(animate);
}

By combining RGBELoader for environment mapping and FlakesTexture for complex material effects, we can create highly realistic visuals in Three.js. This technique is particularly useful for simulating metallic surfaces, automotive finishes, and detailed reflections.