Hello, I am having issues creating a realistic glass block wall in a model I have. I have used a model from sketchup warehouse and changed the material to Glass from chaos, but still looks quite off. Can someone share some tips on how to improve this?
Glass block can come in lots of different colors, patterns, sizes, etc. Do you have a reference image of what you’re trying to achieve? That will help narrow it down.
ex:
I would probably increase the roughness / decrease the glossiness - that will help it look a little more frosted.
Hoe does this look?
It’s this model: 3D Warehouse
With this texture applied (from Cosmos):
With the greenish Fog color pulled way back:
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This looks really great!
Component(3).skp (552.2 KB)
You are a life saver thank you so much!
NP. If you want to give the whole block a bit more wavyness…you can add an additional bump map with some noise as the bump image:
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Post an update when you have it so we all can compare your original to this one and see if it helps 
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Better for sure. You may consider placing an invisible light or looking at the reflectivity value (if it matters and you have time). Notice in your reference image the variation you get from surrounding light sources:
Might need to do different sun position to cast shadow on it… Played around with the edges on this one
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These bricks are typically clear annd polished and you would probably never find one in existence with any frosting at all.
Very true!
I wonder what it is about the glass itself that makes them so milky and diffuse in appearance - maybe just the multiple layers of thick glass
I think it’s the uneven surfaces. They are usually wavy or rippled enough to bend light to the point it garbles the image.
They do exist. I understand the frosting is applied to the inside face of the brick before the halves are joined. I have a few in my bathroom.
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To the OP, I know of the Warehouse model that you speak of and found the same issues about light reflectivity. I actually had to “tear apart” the original model and fix it so it functioned like a real piece of glassblock, which wasn’t easy but once I figured it out, it came together much better than the original. After doing so, I applied a couple of different Vray glass materials to see which one mimicked real glassblock best (clear neutral vs. tempered, which has a slight blue cast). Here is a rendering I did quite a long time ago of the result.
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