Bevel World

The Bevel World dynamic plug-in applies 3D bevel effects, or angled edges, to selected layers or areas.

To create a 3D button with text on it, use Bevel World to create the background button first. Then create your text floating over the button. Group the text and button together, then Collapse the layer group.

An infinite variety of bevel profiles is possible.

Both bevel shape and lighting can be controlled to create unique effects.

The Bevel World dialog has controls for 3D bevel shape and lighting.

Bevel Controls

• Preview shows a real-time preview based on the options you set.
• Bevel Width describes the width of the bevel in relation to the layer diameter.
• Outside Portion controls the portion of the bevel that appears outside of the layer.
• Outside Color determines the color of the outside portion of the bevel. This applies only when Outside Portion is above zero. You can click the Outside Color chip and use the color picker to set the color.
• Rim Slope describes the angle of the rim (innermost portion) of the bevel.
• Cliff Portion describes the horizontal distance between the base and the rim.
• Cliff Height describes the vertical distance between the base level and rim level.
• Cliff Slope describes the angle of the cliff (middle portion) of the bevel.
• Base Slope describes the angle of the base (outermost portion) of the bevel.
• Smoothing controls the roundness of the transitions between base, cliff, and rim as well as the sharpness of the resulting ridges.
• Bevel Interior edges enables (checked) beveling on the interior edges of the bevel area.
• Off (when checked) disables Corel Painter from applying the settings to the image. You can return later and turn the bevel back on.

Light Controls

Lighting changes can make a huge difference in the 3D appearance of the bevel.

You can change the light's angle by dragging in the preview sphere. You can also change the light's position and angle by dragging the Light Direction and Light Height sliders. With Light Height at maximum, the light shines straight down on the layer and the Light Direction setting has no effect. When Light Height is less than maximum, the Light Direction slider rotates the light around the center.

To choose a color for the light, click the Light Color chip and use the color picker to set a color.

• Brightness controls the light's intensity.
• Scatter adjusts the spread of the light's shine over the surface.
• Shine describes the prevalence of highlights.
• Reflection controls how much of the source image is visible in the bevel. If you are working with a clone, the clone source is mapped onto the surface at a variable percentage. A discussion of reflection maps can be found in "Working with Reflection Maps".

To bevel a layer or selection

1. Select the layer or area of the Canvas you want to bevel.

If you select an area, Corel Painter automatically creates a new layer when you apply the bevel.

2. On the Layers palette, click the Dynamic Plug-ins button and choose Bevel World.

If the Commit dialog box displays, click Commit to commit the dynamic layer to an image layer.

3. In the Bevel World dialog box, specify the settings you want.

• You can use the Revert command to restore a source image to its original condition. Refer to "Reverting Dynamic Layers" for more information.