When creating realistic materials for your 3D renders, it is important to set correct values for your IOR (Index of Refraction).
You can achieve a more physically accurate representation of a material’s surface by inputting the IOR value manually.
Most 3D rendering application will allow you to use these values when creating materials. Whether you are 3D modelling, texturing and rendering in Autodesk 3Ds Max, Autodesk Maya, Blender 3D, Maxon Cinema 4D, Chaos Corona, Chaos Vray, Arnold, Redshift or Octane, you can create photorealistic materials that behave naturally under any lighting conditions.
What is IOR?
The Index of Refraction (IOR) defines the level of refraction for the transmitted light travelling through a material. An IOR of 1.0 such as in the case of Air, causes no distortion or dispersion of objects behind the material. Light travels through the medium without significant interference. An IOR of 1.33 such as in the case of Water, causes significant distortion. The higher the IOR the more refraction happens to the transmitted light.
What is the Abbe number?
The Abbe number is the value of a material’s dispersion. It indicates the variation of refractive index versus its wavelength.
Low Abbe numbers produce significant wavelength dispersions, creating prismatic effects.
While high Abbe numbers produce low dispersions allowing the light-waves to transmit with less interference.
