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 - Menu "Objects - Plane"
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| In the Background dialog you have the ability to easily select a sky model for the background. What may still be missing is a similar horizontal object. While there are a number of ways available to form a suitable surface, you can, instead, use the Plane-dialog to create a simple plane object. That is, by operating the "Plane"<Create> button you actually generate only a square facet. Now you may say that you could do exactly the same with the extrude editor as well. The plane object, however, occupies a special position in picture calculation and object manipulation:
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| · | The plane stretches to infinity at the horizon of the picture, while the sizes of other objects are restricted to the 3D area dimensions and so cannot coincide with the sky at the horizon.
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| · | The plane cannot be scaled (it always stretches to infinity). Nor can it be turned.
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| · | Only the height of the plane can be moved - so that you can adapt the "ground level" to suit the position of the other objects.
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| The height of the plane can be adjusted through the Move object menu - like a normal object. The plane can also be switched on or off with the Select object dialog and you can select or edit the material of the plane as with all other objects.
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| You can even set up a multi-layered plane model, in which you generate several planes that lie above one another. If, for example, instead of the sky, you position a plane above the camera, by selecting suitable materials you can produce entirely new backgrounds in this way. However, you should remember that with parallel light sources and the shadow function switched on, the upper plane would shield the "sunlight".
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| In the example in the illustration above, two planes with bitmap textures and a fog background are used. The light comes from a lamp located beneath the upper plane.
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| With the "Plane"-Y parameter you can enter the height of the plane when it is created.
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| With the "Lowest"<Height> button the height of the plane is set to the lowest height of all the objects.
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