Chapter 2: Patterns and Moiré Risks

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Patterns (Camouflage, Tartan, Prints) & Moiré Risks

Patterns are powerful—but they can wreck readability and production if they’re the wrong scale or mapped without care. From camouflage fields to clan tartans to placement prints, patterning must serve faction identity, class reads, and camera distance while respecting how cloth is actually cut and sewn. This article gives character concept artists a practical framework for designing, placing, and packaging patterns that look intentional in concept and behave in engine and on set.

Start with Purpose: Pattern as Function, Identity, and Rhythm

Decide what the pattern does before picking a swatch: function (concealment, glare control), identity (faction/clan/house), or rhythm (breaking big color fields, adding texture interest). Lock value hierarchy first so pattern never competes with class accents and UI. Then define pattern density per region: large quiet fields on torso plates and capes, denser textures on small accessories, and pattern‑free safe zones for icons, placards, and hazard bands.

Scale & Repeat: The Make‑or‑Break Variables

Pattern scale is a camera tool. At gameplay distance, micro prints collapse into noise; at close‑up, macro blobs look childish if they lack weave detail. Choose a base repeat (e.g., 24–64 cm) that fits the garment panel size so key motifs don’t cut awkwardly at seams. Provide secondary detail (micro noise, weave, stipple) that only appears at close LODs. Always align repeat size to texel density; a rule of thumb is to keep your smallest stripe or spot ≥ 3–4 screen pixels at the most common shot so it survives mipmapping without moiré.

Camouflage Families & When They Make Sense

Disruptive (macro blobs): breaks silhouette and long‑range recognition. Good for capes, cloaks, outer shells. Pair with neutral mids so class accents still pop. Texture‑matching (micro/meso): mimics foliage/bark/rock. Reads as “fabric texture” up close; risks turning to mush at distance—reserve for inserts and undersuits. Digital/Pixelated: hard‑edged cells reduce printing cost and can fight moiré if cells are large enough. Keep cell size varied and avoid near‑periodic grids that shimmer. Dazzle (high contrast geom): confuses shape/speed. Useful for naval/vehicle analogs or flamboyant sci‑fantasy factions, but must not obscure class marks. Urban/Industrial: muted neutrals with modular grid hints and grime masking. Works with hi‑vis bands as required by role. Design per biome (desert, jungle, urban, snow, volcanic ash) and per role (recon vs medic). Medics should never vanish; use reduced‑contrast camo with clear cross panels.

Tartan, Plaid & Stripe Systems (Setts, Thread Counts, Bias)

Tartans are engineered repeats called setts, defined by a thread count (color sequence with units). Warp/weft interlace produces blended colors at overlaps; the visual read depends on yarn size and loom density. Respect real cutting rules:

  • Panel placement: Align plaids on center fronts and pocket flaps; mirror at seams; match stripes across closures to signal quality.
  • Bias cutting: 45° rotation for certain pieces (collars, tabs) adds visual energy and avoids pattern mismatch on curves.
  • Pleat reveal: Kilting pleats repeat a subset of the sett; decide which stripe stays visible and show it in rear views. For faction identity, turn tartan into livery borders (binding, tabs, sashes) if full‑body plaid would kill readability. For trim levels, increase materials (embroidered edges, metallic thread) rather than adding colors.

Prints: Placement vs All‑Over

Placement prints (logos, sigils, unit numbers) should ride stable panels (chest placards, pauldron faces) and sit inside framed recesses or between seam allowances to avoid UV distortion and cloth‑sim shearing. All‑over prints need careful repeat and seam planning; avoid splitting a hero motif across darts or elbows. Limit spot color count for screen‑print analogs (2–4 inks) or go full digital print for gradient‑rich motifs; explain this in callouts so texture artists know whether to use flat albedo, normals for puff ink, or emissive enamel fills.

Moiré: What It Is and How to Avoid It

Moiré is interference between pattern frequency and screen sampling (or camera sensor). Symptoms: shimmer, false waves, crawling stripes. Risk factors: tight stripes, fine checks, dot arrays, repeated small icons, and pixelated camos with near‑regular pitch. Mitigations:

  • Scale Up: Keep smallest repeat element ≥ 3–4 screen pixels in the most common shot.
  • Randomize: Break periodicity—jitter element spacing, vary cell sizes, rotate sub‑tiles.
  • Value Clamp: Reduce high‑contrast micro‑alternation (e.g., black/white pinstripes → dark gray/light gray).
  • Mipmap Prep: Author pre‑blurred/down‑sampled pattern variants rather than letting automatic mips alias; hand‑paint LOD textures.
  • Aniso & Triplanar: Favor anisotropic filtering and triplanar projection for tight checks on slanted surfaces.
  • Shader Split: Move detail into roughness/normal at distance instead of albedo; switch to solid color blocks at far LODs. Add a moiré audit to your package: grayscale thumbnails at multiple scales and a distance strip showing LOD swaps.

Pattern Meets Palette: Don’t Lose Class Reads

Patterns must bow to class accents and faction base. Keep safe corridors around medic crosses, engineer cogs, and hazard bands. Reserve high‑contrast pattern away from mobility joints and signifier panels; use low‑contrast versions under bellows and near UI. When in doubt, let the torso carry faction base and put pattern on skirts, capes, and sleeves—areas that can carry narrative without obscuring interaction zones.

Material & Finish: How Pattern Behaves on Surfaces

On matte textiles, pattern reads in albedo; on shells and plates, it reads as paint with edge wear and chip logic; on leather, it’s a dye or foil with crack patterns at folds. For composites, consider in‑mold fabrics—carbon twill with overprint motifs—then protect with clearcoat (adds specular that can compress value). Tie the finish to trim level: base = flat dye, service = bound edges and enamel linework, elite = inlay, brocade, or cloisonné panels.

Wear, Weathering & Story

Pattern fades unevenly—horizontal planes bleach, under folds stay rich. Camouflage collects dust along stitch channels; tartans polish on seat and cuff edges; prints crack at fold roots. Encode repair language: over‑dyed patches that mute pattern; sashiko or bias‑bound inserts that break repeat; reprinted vinyl decals leaving adhesive ghosts. Keep class marks maintained—even in grime—unless the story demands concealment.

Accessibility & Color‑Blind Considerations

Back pattern‑based identity with shape grammar (chevrons, crosses, hexes). Ensure value separation between pattern and signifiers. For tartans and checks, avoid red/green pairs of equal value that merge in deuteranopia; shift one toward blue or alter luminance.

UV, Seams & Cutting Notes for Production

Provide pattern‑aware orthos with grain arrows and seam placements. Mark match points for plaids/stripes; indicate which panels are cut on bias. Supply vector sources (SVG) and tile sizes in world units, plus texel density targets (e.g., 512–1024 px per 10 cm). Include placement masks for decals and safe zones. Add LOD pattern swaps: all‑over → simplified block → solid at distance.

Shader & Texture Guidance

  • Author tileables with baked AO only where appropriate; avoid AO that fights real folds.
  • Drive micro pattern into detail maps that fade by distance; keep albedo reserved for macro reads.
  • Use curvature masks to chip painted patterns on plates; keep fabric prints continuous across seams unless a seam is intentionally mismatched.
  • Set emissive only on intended UI; never on repeating pattern elements.

Fantasy vs Sci‑Fi Translations

Fantasy: tartans, brocades, block‑prints, ikats, embroidery. Respect loom width, dye limitations, and stitch logic. Pattern becomes status—richer repeat, metallic thread at higher trims. Sci‑Fi: digital camos, QR‑like fiducials, industrial caution repeats, panel paint on shells. Use emissive only for UI, not for all‑over pattern. Translate clan identity into enamel borders or nanoweave watermarking rather than noisy fields.

Case Studies

Recon Cloak (Jungle, Medium): Macro disruptive camo (40–60 cm blobs) with subtle micro speckle only at close range. Safe panel on chest for lime triangle class mark; hood interior in neutral knit to avoid moiré near face. Clan Captain (Fantasy, Elite): Tunic in house tartan (specified sett + thread count), bias‑cut collar tabs, matched placket stripes; surcoat border uses the tartan colors as enamel knotwork. Pattern‑free breast for heraldic beast. Dock Trooper (Urban Sci‑Fi, Light): Gray base with low‑contrast industrial check on pants (cell ≥ 12 mm). High‑vis amber bands at shoulder and belt; thigh panels use simplified block pattern at LOD2 to prevent shimmer.

Packaging Checklist

Deliver: 1) purpose + value hierarchy, 2) base repeat sizes and vector sources, 3) biome/camo variants, 4) tartan sett diagrams and match‑point notes, 5) placement masks and safe zones, 6) moiré audit strip with LOD swaps, 7) shader notes (detail map fade, curvature chipping), and 8) wear/repair rules.

Closing Thought

Patterns succeed when they serve the read. If your camo hides the wrong things or your plaid fights your emblem, the player feels it even if they can’t name it. Engineer scale, repeat, and placement—and plan moiré out from day one—so identity and function stay crystal clear at any distance.