How to Create a Realistic CD Shader With Arnold Using Anisotropic Reflections

Lee Griggs shows how you can create a glimmering CD shader with Arnold.

Anisotropic reflections are vital for creating a brushed metal look. With a few tweaks, you could also use them to create a realistic-looking CD shader. This new tutorial from Arnold Rendering Specialist Lee Griggs shows how you can get that classic CD glimmer with Arnold.

The shader isn’t physically accurate, but it looks terrific. You may need to adjust the UVs depending on the model that you are using for this effect to work. “You may also need to increase the number of subdivision_iterations to remove any anisotropic faceting that you might see on the CD mesh.”