Deceptively simple request... How do I make a scifi/modern light texture?

[Deathbliss]

Here's a pic that should show you the kind of thing I'm trying to figure out how to make:

By deathbliss at 2008-06-13

That's a texture from Unreal Tournament 3, but back in Unreal Tournament a lot of levels used textures like this as light sources. With UT3 a mapper needs much more realism. It should look like a light of some sort behind a tranlucent plate, mounted on a metal surface. Be even cooler to give it some wires.

Please note that I'm not a texture artist, and have very limited skills. But if anyone where has information, tips, advice, links and so forth which will help me learn how to draw this sort of texture and would share this information I would be very grateful. I'm using Paint.Net for my primary image editing program, although I can use Photoshop if necassary.

I appreciate your help!
- Deathbliss

[spudmonkey]

Top of my head here...

1. Create a layer that is the size you want for the light. Fill it with a yellowey white colour.

2. Create a layer on top and draw some horizontal lines to the right thickness. You can then thin out the middle part using a low opacity erazor tool to get the right effect

3. Create layer 3 and use a dark grey -> white -> dark grey gradient map for the fill instead of a solid colour. Change the layer type to overlay/multiple and mess about with the layer opacity to improve the effect

4. Create layer 4 and create the outline for the light case using a stroked rectangle. Colour, damage and age as required

Done!

[specs2]

in UT3, you could get this sort of effect, by adding a luminance texture to the material and add a light source directly in front of it, to achieve the look of this texture, emitting light.