How to make a Metal see-through material?

[rdixed]

Hi Guys,

I am trying out some new stuff and i hope you guys somehow can help me. I have a design of a gadget that is completely metal, but i would like a emmissive ring that could change color. This ring is placed behind the metal. But when the ring is emmissive i would like to see it shine through te metal. Yeah i know it ain't possible with real metal, but Apple figured out a smart way to do so. So it's possible.


I tried a lot of different ideas, but wasn't able to crack it yet so that is why i ask it here. Thanks in advance for any potential help!

[Will Gibbons]

Here's how Apple does it... https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/04/apple-laser-manufacturing/

Depends on what you want to do though. If you're proposing this for a real product, it seems too expensive... but if you want to show it in KeyShot with stills, that's easy, just do 2 different models and render out a still of each (like your side-by-side image above).

Finally, if you're hoping to animate it, it's more complicated, but you could split the metal surface where the ring is and make both surfaces the same metal. Then, do a material animation, or a fade to reveal the other material in an offset surface. I know this is a tad vague, but there are many ways to go about it. Just depends on what you're hoping to achieve in the end.

[INNEO_MWo]

I've done a quick'n'dirty solution and fakin' this with an intersecting sphere.


All details in the attached file.


Hope that helps.


Cheers
Marco

[rdixed]

Hey MWo & Will,

Thank you for the reply! And also thank you for the manufacturing information. Very interesting. Right now it's just for a concept, but if they really want it like that than it will become the issue of the manufacturer. Right now they requested it like this so it's awesome to check out your BIP. Thank you very much!

Ciao

[rdixed]

Sorry MWO i had to reply again.... Sometimes the solutions are so simple, that it's almost genius to figure it out! Thanks....

[INNEO_MWo]

Sorry MWO i had to reply again.... Sometimes the solutions are so simple, that it's almost genius to figure it out! Thanks....

No need to apologize. Glad that this helped.

I like this awesome community here. They're all great and help a lot.


enjoy your work!

Cheers
Marco

[NM-92]

You can also fake this effect with some texture work in the mat graph. I use the default gradient texture in KS but you can make it sharper if you want. Hope it helps !

[LayC42]

This work as well in a still image.
And in an animation I would prefer the light object.

Nice solution Nico

[NM-92]

This work as well in a still image.
And in an animation I would prefer the light object.

Nice solution Nico

Thanks ! I think you can control the Emissive material intensity with a node for animation and then turn it on and off ?

[Will Gibbons]

This work as well in a still image.
And in an animation I would prefer the light object.

Nice solution Nico

Thanks ! I think you can control the Emissive material intensity with a node for animation and then turn it on and off ?

Yeah... color or number fade.