This was my first full attempt to give things realistic reflective surfaces. I eventually had to break out my old domino placing Maya scripts to get part of it right. Yes, I know I haven’t put any domino stuff up, yet, but I will eventually.
I borrowed the form of the silver shader from a guy online who was using it as an example of how to create Fresnel effects in Maya. The Fresnel (pronounced “fre-NEL,” — the “s” is silent) effect states that the properties of a surface change as the angle you’re viewing it at changes. So, for example, a surface may be more transparent when you look at it straight on, and less transparent when looking at it edgewise. In this case, the reflectivity changes on the silver – more reflective the less straight-on you’re looking at it. It occurs because of the thickness of material you’re looking through changes – the shiny surface of the silver scatters more light than the layer just beneath it.