{"id":366,"date":"2021-06-29T01:30:37","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T01:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.canosielabs.com\/blog\/?p=366"},"modified":"2022-01-23T16:43:43","modified_gmt":"2022-01-23T16:43:43","slug":"macarons-in-blender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canosielabs.com\/blog\/macarons-in-blender\/","title":{"rendered":"Macarons in Blender"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today I want to show how to make photorealistic macrons. It’s been something I wanted to make for a while. When I initially looked around to see if anyone else made them, the only good ones were either photoscanned models or weren’t realistic enough for me. There were also no real tutorials showing how to make them so I tried various techniques. Since they involved some interesting techniques, I decided to share my findings. Let’s get started.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, I wanted to share my thought process. Many times, I see people asking “how did you come up with the techniques?” and I feel learning the thought process is the best way to learn. Copying click-for-click instructions can only get you so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve also created a corresponding video. Take a look if you want to see some of the steps in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Composition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Start by decomposing a real macaron. It is composed of 3 main parts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig 1.1.1 Composition of a macaron<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Cap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The cap refers to the top portion of the macaron “shell”. They are usually in the shape of a ‘flattened’ half sphere. Some macarons are very flat while others are very round (see fig 1.2.1 for a comparison). This is a artistic choice you’ll need to make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> Sometimes ‘shell’<\/strong> is used to refer to the entire non-filling part of a macaron as a singular unit. i.e. “A macaron is made of two shells with filling in the middle”, but in our definition, when we say ‘shell’<\/strong>, we only refer to the upper part not including the feet(as per fig 1.1.1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig 1.2.1 Shell shapes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Feet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Feet(foot) are the bottom portion of the overall macaron shell which expands downward when baking. They have a distinct visual texture from the upper shell. The feet are the most important <\/strong>part of model and is what ‘sells’ the photorealism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig 1.3.1 Parts of the feet<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Filling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The filling is a cream like substance sandwiched between two shells. Its thickness and how close the filling is to the edge very from person to person so it is another aesthetic decision for you. Some macarons have a thick layer of filling bulging out, while others have so little you can barely see any at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig 1.4.1 Different fill levels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Skin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The skin refers to the color and texture of the shell. Macarons skins are generally smooth but have many small rounded bumps. Depending on the color, there can be a fair amount of reflection. While most macaron skins are smooth and a bit shiny, rough mat color macarons also exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Before Staring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Scale –<\/strong> It’s important to work with the correct scale. If you model at the wrong scale, you may encounter depth-of-field issues when rendering images. Most macarons have a dimeter of about 1.5 inches or 38 mm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apply Rotation and Scale<\/strong> – We’ll be doing a lot of scaling of our mesh to get it the right size. Since we’re using many texture based displacement modifiers, it’s important we apply rotation and scale each time we adjust a mesh’s size. If something isn’t looking correct, often times it’s because you haven’t applied rotation and scale yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The Shell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Basic Shape<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The shell starts as a sphere that has a radius of 19mm with the bottom half removed and filled in with a face (figure 3.1.2<\/strong>). Keep the segments at 32 with 16 rings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig 3.1.1<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Afterwards, add a subdivision modifier and create a edge loop to make the bottom of the shell more defined (figure 3.1.3<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Fig 3.1.2 Top half of sphere<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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    Fig 3.1.3 subdivided<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Add 4 or 5 edge loops on the bottom of the mesh and mark the seams (as per the video).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Fig 3.1.4 Edge loops<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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      Fig 3.1.5 Adding Seams<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Bring in a reference photograph and adjust the mesh to rough match the shape of your reference. As in figure 3.1.6<\/strong>, you will most likely need to “flatten” the shell along the z-axis and widen it by scaling some loops outward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Fig 3.1.6 Reference Image<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Real macaron shells are not perfect domes. The surface has a gentle unevenness with small indents and peaks. We can achieve this using a subdivision and a displace(cloud texture) modifier. The subdivision level is 3 and for the displace modifier, keep the strength at 0.002<\/strong> and size of the cloud texture also at 0.002<\/strong>. We’re using small values because macarons are small and we want the displacement to be subtle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Fig 3.1.7 Shell modifiers and displacement settings<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Figure 3.1.8<\/strong>(below) shows the comparison between the original ‘perfect’ shell and one with slight displacement. Keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. It is best not to go overboard, only a slight displacement is required.<\/li>
      2. You can use grab tool to manually sculpt imperfections as required.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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          Fig 3.1.8 Displacement modifier<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          4. The Skin<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

          I made the skin material with Substance Designer<\/strong>. As mentioned previously, the texture isn’t a solid uniform color. Gel food coloring is used for most macarons and when mixed with almond flour and sugar, it results in some inconstant color distribution. You will also see a small number of tiny dark specs throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          Fig 4.1.1 Real macaron skin<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

          In addition to the specs, there are often tiny airholes produced when the macarons are baked. These holes are way too small to be produced by mesh displacement but can be accomplished by small black dots in the base color with a depression from the normal map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          All macarons have bumps but the amount and size very greatly. A perfectly flat skin immediately looks fake so we must include some bumps. I’ve provided the material textures in the resources section at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Here is the rendered result:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          Fig 4.1.2 Rendered shell and skin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Now apply the shell material to the shell mesh. We only want to apply the shell material to the upper portion of the shell. First, apply the shell material to the entire mesh. Then select the faces on the bottom of the shell and click “assign” the feet material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n