Texturing and Shaders are applied in the fourth phase of the 3D production pipeline and whilst don’t effect the shape of the 3D model they do effect its visual appearance (Slick, Anatomy of a 3D Model, 2015). Although separate features texturing and shaders work together to determine the overall visual detail of the 3D model. Textures are flat images that get applied to 3D objects through the use of UV Mapping (see previous post) and they are responsible for models being colourful and detailed, Textures can range in simplicity from simple colour textures to realistic surface detail (Geig, 2013).
3D Model Texturing Sourced from: http://blog.tngvisualeffects.com/tag/zbrush/
The shader is a set of instructions given to a 3D model that informs the computer how a texture should be displayed. This can involve manipulating the way the model interacts with light, by editing opacity, reflectivity, glossiness, etc. (Slick, Anatomy of a 3D Model, 2015). With the two features a 3D model can be edited to look and react in any way for any environment.
Types of Shading Sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cel_shading
Sources
Geig, M. (2013, December 19). Working with Models, Materials, and Textures in Unity Game Development. Retrieved February 26, 2015, from InformIT: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2162089&seqNum=2
Slick, J. (2015). Anatomy of a 3D Model. Retrieved February 26, 2015, from About Tech: http://3d.about.com/od/3d-101-The-Basics/a/Anatomy-Of-A-3d-Model.htm
3D Animation and Art 