How to Make Anime-Style Glass in Blender (Eevee Shader Tutorial)

Creating a Procedural Anime Style Glass Material in Eevee

Introduction to the Tutorial

• The tutorial focuses on creating a procedural anime-style glass material for Blender's Eevee render engine, emphasizing ease of creation and variation.

• The Node Wrangler add-on is essential for this process; users are instructed to enable it through Blender's preferences.

Setting Up the Scene

• Different objects will be used to preview the glass material, with instructions on how to create and link materials across multiple objects using Ctrl + L.

• A recommendation is made to check out Blender Guru's tutorial on Eevee for deeper understanding, particularly regarding lighting setups and reflection issues.

Adding Line Art

• The creator adds line art using Grease Pencil for aesthetic purposes, although it's not central to the tutorial's focus.

• Adjustments are made in the modifier properties tab, including lowering line thickness and enabling material borders for better visual separation.

Creating the Glass Material

• The first step involves removing the Principal BSDF node and introducing a Glossy BSDF node for reflections.

• A Shader to RGB node is added to convert shading information into RGB color data, which can be manipulated further with a Color Ramp node.

Refining Reflections and Colors

• The Color Ramp node is set to constant interpolation for solid colors between stops; dark gray is chosen as one of the colors.

• Camera movement is encouraged to assess reflections from different angles; GGX distribution is selected for improved surface reflection appearance.

Mixing Shaders for Transparency

• Instead of using Glass BSDF (which doesn't perform well in Eevee), Diffuse BSDF and Transparent BSDF nodes are mixed using a Mix Shader node via Node Wrangler shortcuts.

• Adjusting the factor of the Mix Shader allows control over transparency versus diffusion effects; a value of 0.14 provides an appealing balance.

Adding Emission Effects

• An Emission Shader is introduced alongside another Shader to RGB node connected into Diffuse BSDF color input; emission strength is set at three.

Addressing Noise Issues

Glass Shader Creation and Customization

Adjusting Reflection Layers

• The discussion begins with the comparison between D3 and blended rendering, noting that while D3 supports ray tracing, blended is sufficient for the current project.

• It is identified that reflections appear duplicated due to transparency allowing back face reflections; enabling back face coloring for the camera can resolve this issue.

Creating a Glass Rim

• A glass rim is created using a Fresnel node connected to a color ramp. The interpolation of the color ramp is switched to constant for better control over appearance.

• The IOR (Index of Refraction) value is set to 1.01 to adjust the thickness of the rim, enhancing realism in the shader design.

Mixing Shaders and Adding Noise

• To mix the rim with other reflections, a lazy mix shortcut is used, connecting nodes efficiently. The blending mode is changed to lighten with an increased factor for optimal visual results.

• Adding noise texture introduces subtle imperfections in both rim and reflections, enhancing realism. A bump node connects noise texture output to create these effects.

Node Group Creation for Future Use

• A node group is created by selecting all relevant nodes except material output, facilitating easier customization of materials in future projects.

• Inputs such as mix shader factor, glass color, emission strength, glossy BSDF properties, and noise parameters are added to enhance flexibility in material adjustments.

Finalizing Material Customization

• Additional inputs like bump strength and noise scale are included in the node group for comprehensive control over material characteristics.

• Renaming inputs within the group enhances clarity; examples include transparent/diffuse factors and glass color strength.

Applying Effects and Rendering Techniques

• A new material instance for a wine bottle demonstrates how changes can be made without affecting other objects; adjusting glass color improves visual fidelity.

Creating Visual Effects in 3D Scenes

Adjusting Glare and Bloom Effects

• The speaker demonstrates how to switch the glare type to "fog glow," enhancing the visual effects in a 3D scene.

• An immediate bloom effect is observed from reflections after changing the glare type, indicating an improvement in visual quality.

• The emission strength is increased to make the bloom effect more pronounced, showcasing how adjustments can enhance visibility of effects.

• A comparison is made between using line art and not using it, illustrating different aesthetic outcomes for the scene.