What is a specular map?
Specular maps are used to define the shininess/highlight on a surface. Typically a specular map is a black and white image that maps out the shininess value on an object. The whiter the pixel, the more shiny the object in that specific place on the texture (or on the texel).
Is specular map same as roughness?
Basically the difference is that your specular map controls the amount of sharp reflections you are getting from your material where as the roughness map controls how diffuse the material is. There are definitely some objects where the specular and roughness look very similar.
Is specular map same as gloss?
Gloss mapping is more powerful than the traditional specular mask, as gloss influences not only the brightness of a highlight but also it’s size and the sharpness of reflections. When working with textures, gloss maps and normal maps are created first, then diffuse maps.
How do you make a simple specular map in Photoshop?
Simple specular map made in Photoshop To do this simply select Hue/Saturation(Ctrl+U)and set the value of Saturation to -100 or slightly less. Unfortunately now all of the reflections would be in the hollows but we want to achieve just the opposite of that. That’s way you need to do inversion.
What is gloss and specular?
Gloss is another term for smoothness of a surface. When a surface is rougher its specular light is bounced all over, and so the reflection appears more blurry. TL;DR: Specular is how shiny it is and usually is higher with metals. Gloss is how clear the reflections are.
What is roughness map?
Figure 31: The roughness map describes the surface irregularities that cause light diffusion. In this map, black (0.0) represents a smooth surface and white (1.0) represents a rough surface. The roughness map is the most creative map as it allows the artist to visually define the character of a surface.