Blur Mat

[cccbone]

Hey gang.

I'm familiar with nodes etc. But I kind of need a push out of the gate as material making is not something I practice often.
I want to make a material like a frosted glass like the pic attached. The current mat in Keyshot 7 doesn't really get the effect I'd like.

Any suggestions. Currently I'm using a clear plastic with roughness turned up and a noise bump map but it's still too clear. I want whatever is passing though to be blurred.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

[Eric Summers]

You could try messing around with the Plastic (Cloudy) material. I think that might get you the effect you're looking for. Between the cloudiness and roughness sliders you have a lot of control of the look.

[Esben Oxholm]

I'll echo Eric here. You need to use a material where you can set some internal roughness. That would either be the 'cloudy plastic' or 'advanced'.
I would start with one of the pre-defined cloudy plastics from the library and tweak it from there.

[Rooker]

Hi Esben, is cloudy plastic tipically used to create this effect by everyone, or is it just the simplest solution to get you started?

[Will Gibbons]

If the material you want to look like frosted glass has a uniform thickness, I would recommend using just a solid glass material and adding roughness to the surface. This will simulate a blasted/frosted glass. I use cloudy plastic for some more SSS properties or parts that very clearly have varying thickness... in your case, glass will be quick to set up and render.

[Esben Oxholm]

If the material you want to look like frosted glass has a uniform thickness, I would recommend using just a solid glass material and adding roughness to the surface. This will simulate a blasted/frosted glass. I use cloudy plastic for some more SSS properties or parts that very clearly have varying thickness... in your case, glass will be quick to set up and render.

If you add roughness to the solid glass material, don't you loose out on the specular reflections you see in the reference picture posted above?
I guess if you need those, there is no way around the advanced material with some 'roughness transmission' or the cloudy plastic. The advanced material might be the fastest option in this case. Might be wrong

[Will Gibbons]

If the material you want to look like frosted glass has a uniform thickness, I would recommend using just a solid glass material and adding roughness to the surface. This will simulate a blasted/frosted glass. I use cloudy plastic for some more SSS properties or parts that very clearly have varying thickness... in your case, glass will be quick to set up and render.

If you add roughness to the solid glass material, don't you loose out on the specular reflections you see in the reference picture posted above?
I guess if you need those, there is no way around the advanced material with some 'roughness transmission' or the cloudy plastic. The advanced material might be the fastest option in this case. Might be wrong

Absolutely! I just assumed that wasn't part of what the OP was after. If that's the case, then you're right. However, an alternative would be to use a label (either plastic, or flat white) and fake it that way.

[Esben Oxholm]

If the material you want to look like frosted glass has a uniform thickness, I would recommend using just a solid glass material and adding roughness to the surface. This will simulate a blasted/frosted glass. I use cloudy plastic for some more SSS properties or parts that very clearly have varying thickness... in your case, glass will be quick to set up and render.

If you add roughness to the solid glass material, don't you loose out on the specular reflections you see in the reference picture posted above?
I guess if you need those, there is no way around the advanced material with some 'roughness transmission' or the cloudy plastic. The advanced material might be the fastest option in this case. Might be wrong

Absolutely! I just assumed that wasn't part of what the OP was after. If that's the case, then you're right. However, an alternative would be to use a label (either plastic, or flat white) and fake it that way.

Yup, true. It is always good to have different ways to solve a specific challenge
At least OP has some different options to explore now.

[Speedster]

I suggest UV mapping the glass (in native CAD) with separate colors, one on the visible face, and another on the far side.  Then use solid glass for the visible face, and frosted glass on the other side.  I often do this on ground planes for jewelry and the like.Bill G

[Esben Oxholm]

I suggest UV mapping the glass (in native CAD) with separate colors, one on the visible face, and another on the far side.  Then use solid glass for the visible face, and frosted glass on the other side.  I often do this on ground planes for jewelry and the like.Bill G

That sounds like a great solution, Bill.
I guess I didn't realize that frosted glass hasn't got any roughness inside, but that it's more likely that the front side is clear and the backside is rough as you describe.
Thanks for chiming in.