Large Scale Model Skins???
handyman4545
Posts: 408
I'm modeling large scale models, 100' and larger in size and I've been using hi-res images at about 2000pix size for some of the textures and it's worked out pretty well but for others where I need greater detail in the image, I'm having dificulties.
These image samples I'm downloading are typically of areas that are real world sized at 12"x12" (give or take) and when applied to a 100' long model, maginfy the image detail to unacceptable overall size.
I tried making a new texture sample by tiling the original sample but I got a plaid skirt instead of a textured model.
How do you get a 12"x12" sample of texture detail to fit a 100' model without tiling which makes the new sized texture look like a plaid skirt?
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2026 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
When you model, you can seperate pieces to seperate UV maps and give them surface names that are not shared with other pieces of the model. Then you can do the textures for at different scales with different amounts of detail as needed for each piece.
The reason why you are getting what you describe as a "plaid" effect when tiling your texture maps is, simply put, because the texture maps that you are using are not designed to be tileable. There are texture maps that are tileable, but they are designed to be used where a uniform pattern or colour is being applied to a surface. In order for them to tile without revealing seams between tiles, they must be created with perfectly matching borders, top, bottom and sides. If you are working with texture maps that are not designed in this way and\or are not a uniform or repeating pattern, you are going to get the "plaid" effect - a repetition of the map across the surface with very obvious boundaries between one tile and the next.
In order to apply a non-tileable texture map that has been created for a model at a given scale to that same model that is being used at a significantly larger scale without losing detail (assuming that the original maps are not of a large enough resolution to begin with to accomodate the larger scale), you would need to increase or scale up the original image just as you did the model. This won't work if the model has been scaled up significantly, since most texture maps that I am aware of are in raster or bitmap formats, which do not scale up well without becoming pixelated or losing definition. They simply aren't designed for that. You could try scaling up the original texture maps in an image editing program and saving them as copies, then replace the originals under the Surfaces tab in DAZ Studio with the new ones to see if that helps
There is one big caveat with the foregoing "solution", however. In the real world you can zoom in on an object using a macro lens on a camera, or some other means of magnifification, to reveal increasing surface details of that object. That is possible because, in the real world, such surfaces actual possess those surface details. In the virtual world, objects only possess details that are either modelled into an object's mesh and\or are contained in the texture maps made for the object. No amount of zooming or scaling will reveal details that are simply not there to begin with. In that case the only real solution is to prepare new texture maps at a higher resolution and size based upon the originals, with the required extra details added manually.
(BTW, I should have added, that if you do try increasing the size or resolution of your texture maps, that will have an effect on your system resource usage, in case that does not occur to you. If you go that route, I would recommend that you try a few spot renders first to see if there is any material advantage to using them, prior to attempting any full-scene renders. The latter might bring your system to its knees if the original maps were relatively high res to begin with.)
One option is to purchase this:
https://www.daz3d.com/sculptural-genesis-8-ultra-fun-kit
This gives Genesis 8 a new UV which is designed for tileable shaders, like wood, marble etc. If you can located a seamless square skin texture, preferable as high resolution as possible, you could then use this to cover the skin areas of the body, and you can tile it to give the definition you desire. This will not work with lips and eyes, but will let you cover the skin areas.
Thank you for getting back to me on this.
Matty.
I already have the model divided into pieces. The best I could do at this point would be to take those pieces and start subdividing them.
The trouble in that is that on a starship, the only way to make this work in smaller pieces is to make individual panels on the surface of each of the different modules of the ship and that's time consuming especially when you take into consideration the sircular aspect of the design.
Six.
I figured out the tiling problem some time ago.
No way around that. The only way I can use scaling in this particular situation would be the scale down my model rather than scaling up the texture because the texture is already detailed at one square foot.
If I scale it up anymore, I get unacceptably larger texture details.
The second problem is I can't scale down the vehicle because trying to scale it down to meet the one foot by one foot texture makes the model so small it destroys the purpose of the texture in the first place.
What it all boils down to is either finding an equally great, texture with seam-able borders that can be tiled effectively or breaking the larger surface up into a kazillion smaller surfaces and individually meshing every one of them. I can't think of another solution.
Another option is a procedural shader, which can generate random elements over a large space.
https://www.daz3d.com/oso-master-shader1-for-iray
https://www.daz3d.com/oso-shader-pack-1-for-iray
Oso...
I'm not far enough along in shaders and their use to understand how to use this.
Fact of the matter is that I just recently bought my very first shader, "Old Metals" and not only can't find it on my system, I'm not even sure how to use it assuming I manage to locate it anyway. (chuckles)
BTW...
Havos. Thanks for responding though I'm not sure how to use this info.
I was thinking you wanted very large people models (particularly since you said skin, not texture), but looking back at your first post, I can see that it is props (space ships etc) that are going to be very large, in which case my advice is not applicable.
No worries Sir.
I might be able to use this info some where else.
Sent you PM Handyman4545.
Love this texture but the detail is so high and the sample so small I can't do anything with it.