So as per my new thread (
https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php?topic=15592.new;topicseen#new) where I used real thickness for banana leaves, I think implementing thickness as a feature (something like additional displacement method) would be a pretty handy addition to the engine. The thickness with custom edges parameter can be used to enhance appearance of foliage, and can be used in many different scenarios as well like perforated surfaces etc.. I attached some examples of where this would be pretty much appliable and could save time and provide new functionality with enhanced visuall beauty.
The way I image this could work is:
1. Lets imagine we have a simple plane (no thickness) with applied material on it.
2. Material would have an opacity map (leaf opacity, perforated holes opacity, whatever) and displacement map (for leaves lets say).
3. In material editor, there would be a new set of parameters for real thickness - and those are: Thickness and Edge Chamfer (or Profile Curve for a better edges customization).
4. With these two parameters user would be able to enable real thicknes without doing a very time consuming modeling or very time consuming adjustment of opacity map to bend the edges by appying shell modifier to the object and using adjusted (blurred) opacity map do displace edges (my banana way).
5. Also it would be cool to be able to have a mask for edges to be able to alter their diffuse map separately (leaves having brighter edges attached) - this is important as well, as you can see, (banana leaves have a brighter/yellower edges what helps sell the thing as well).
So in other words:
1. Simple plane with opacity map
2. This is how it looks when rendered
3. Plus displacement map
4. With turned on "real thickness" with "round profile edges" in material editor. See that texture mapping is bednded only - working "properly".
What do you think?