Cloth introduces a new challenge, and it matters because people wear it. Instead of simple planes or smooth curves, folds created by gravity reveal the form beneath the fabric. Long pipe folds, soft transitions, and overlapping shadows all work together to describe the rounded shape underneath.

Fortunately for this study, the cloth is draped over a sphere instead of someone’s head. The principles are the same, but the model is much better at holding still.

The checkerboard pattern helps you follow how each fold twists and changes direction, and adjusting the roughness shifts the fabric from matte to shiny. Switch to a single-color material whenever you’d like to focus purely on light, shadow, and value.

Move the cloth out of the way for a clean look at the sphere beneath, or head over to the Sphere Shading Reference for the detailed study.