Create custom buttons for Clo3D with Photoshop

Custom horn buttons made with Photoshop and Clo3D

Get up close to show beautiful details in your 3D renderings. In this video I walk you through one of the somewhat hidden features of Clo3D, using UV Maps to create custom buttons with Photoshop. I will also look at applying a new material type to achieve sub surface scatter lighting effects for materials like real horn.

Get the instruction in the video, and refer back to these steps below later when you forget what you saw in the video.

In Clo’s Button Property Editor, select a shape and note the name of the button when you hover over it. In this case I used the first shape, Sew-Through button #1.

Select a button shape in the property editor window
Select a button shape in the Button Property Editor

The UV Maps for the built-in button shapes can be found at c:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Clo\Assets\Materials\Hardware & Trims\Button & Button hole\Button UV Texture Maps. Find the UV map that corresponds to your button.

This is the UV map included in the Clo software for Sew Through button #1
This is what the UV map for Sew-Through button #1 looks like.
A properly textured and mapped button image
Use photoshop to correctly map a button image to the UV map. Placement of your image is critical.

In the Button Property Editor, select the texture you created with the UV map, change the material Type to Skin in order to get the subsurface scattering, decrease the Roughness and increase the Reflection Intensity to give the look of polished horn buttons. If you are making a solid plastic, metal, or other material, select the appropriate material type instead of Skin.

Set the properties and texture for your button
Make changes in the button Property Editor