Texture Structure

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A Bryce texture can be made up of three components. These components contribute the raw patterns or textures within a texture. Each component can then contribute one of three types of output to the final texture. These outputs are then combined to create the final texture.

This diagram shows the structure of a texture.

Within each component is a combination of colors and noise that create a pattern. The shape of the noise inside a component is determined by the phase of the noise and the filter applied to it. The filter can create coherent patterns, random spots or anything in between. Refer to "Noise", "Phase" and "Filtering" for more on noise, phase and filtering.

This diagram shows the structure of a texture including the structure of a component.

A component can contribute one of three types of output to the final texture: Color output, which determine the colors in a texture, Alpha output, which determines the bright and dark areas in a texture, and Bump output, which determines the size and pattern of bumps in the texture.

The component can contribute any combination of outputs. So you can have a final texture that contains Color output, Alpha output, and Bump output, or it can have all Color output or all Bump, or any combination of the three.

The outputs in a texture are used by the material, so the type of output you have in a texture depends entirely on how you want to use the texture in the material. For example, if you're using the texture as a bump map for the Bump Height channel in a material, you'd probably want all the components to contribute only Bump output.

A texture can contain up to three components. It can be made up of all three components or just one, depending on the type of texture you want to create. The more components you use, the more complex your texture.

Components are combined using Blend Modes. These modes can create a wide range of effects.

The way components are combined to create the final texture is determined by the Blend Mode you select.

Components are combined differently depending on how many you use. If you use one or two they are combined according to the blend method you select. If you use three, the first two components are combined, and the resulting texture is then combined with the third component to create the final texture.

When you use three components, the first two components (C1 and C2) combine to create a hybrid texture which is then combined with the third component (C3) to create the final texture. So they're combined using the formula (C1+C2)+C3=FINAL.

The texture components are combined together to form the final Combination texture. The final texture can have its own color scheme, noise, phase or filter. Any changes you make to the combination texture changes the final texture. These types of operations are called Global changes. Refer to "Global Changes" for more on global changes.

The end result of the Global changes is the final texture which can then be used in the Materials lab to create a material.

Components vs. Texture Components

Before you get any deeper into the discussion of texture structure you should understand a little terminology.

A texture is a part of a material. It can be used to drive any of the material's channels. When you use a texture in a material, it's called a material component.

The texture itself also has components. It can be made up of up to three components that determine the look and color of the texture. The components that make up a texture are called components.

The difference between components and texture components may be a bit confusing. Just remember that when you're talking about a texture, you're dealing with components. When you're working with materials, you're using texture components.

Understanding Component Structure

A texture can have up to three components. When combined, the components create the final texture. A component consists of noise and color.

A component can have up to three colors. The combined texture can also have a different set of three colors which is added to the colors from the components. In total your texture can contain up to twelve colors.

The noise in a component is made of base Noise which is modified by the Phase, which controls the complexity of the noise, and the Filter, which determines the shape or pattern of the noise.

A component consists of noise and color. The Noise is modified by the Phase and the Filter. Each component can then produce Color, Alpha or Bump output.

Components and Output

A component's output type determines what type of information it's going to contribute to the final texture. The Output type also determines the component's structure. A component that does not have a Color output won't contain any color information. The same is true for the two other types of output. If there's no Alpha or Bump output there's no Alpha or Bump information in the component.

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