How to apply materials to SU model?
Before searching this myself I’d like to ask some experienced users for best instructional video links and advice for starting to learn how to do this.
I’d like to be able to model materials as in this image. I have never done so before. One thing I notice is that there is no tiling or repetition of pattern.
JosepMariaTorra.jpgIn general, to avoid the repetition or pattern, the texture image needs to be large enough to cover the face. Most texture images are of small areas and must necessarily repeat in order to cover large surfaces. For this reason, when I make my own wood grain materials, I use images of full length boards and not the little square textures that are so common. I do the same for brick walls. For example, the brick wall in this image is from a photograph I took of a large wall.
In the image you share, the author has done some post processing and among other things added some noise which could mask the repetition.
SketchUp always tiles when a face is larger than the material. To get a single tile, you can either make/find a material large enough to cover the entire face or scale a material until it is large enough. Scaling can produce unrealistic texture if taken too far.
There are also some materials that are carefully designed to be “seamless”. Usually this means that opposite edges are matched for color and pattern so that the joins are hard to see.
