The Material Editor first opens in its simplified version (default). It is designed for users wishing to create a material quickly, specifying the minimum number of parameters. It can also be used as an initial tool before using the Extended Version of the Editor.
Simplified Version of the Material Editor:
The Simplified Material Editor can be used to define textured materials, mapped images, and styles. It allows the user to define the uniform zero level layer and the level 1 layer if the current material has any upper level layers.
q Main editing window
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This window manages the editing of the materials. It displays four buttons, which are: |
¨ Cancel:
Click on the Cancel button to exit the Material and apply no modifications to the current material.
¨ OK:
Click on the “OK” button when you are satisfied with the material settings. They will be automatically assigned to the current object. You will be able to assign this material to other objects of the scene using the material management tool provided by the Scene Manager (see User Manual/Tools/Control Panel/The Scene Manager/Materials).
¨ Create a Style
(See Chapter Rendering/The Materials/Style).
¨ Mapping an image
Mapping is the projection of an image onto the surface of an object. Different types of projections are available, depending on how the image is projected and on the interaction between the projection and the surface of the object. Other parameters can also be specified (scale, tiling, orientation, etc.).
The Simplified Material Editor allows you to map an image on an object. Click on the “Map an image” button; A dialog box appears, allowing you to specify the image file to be mapped, and the image mapping control window opens. See the paragraph Rendering/The Materials/Image Mapping, for more details on how to proceed.
q Preview window
This window displays a preview of the current object with the current material applied. You can rotate around the object using the usual hotkeys (see chapter User Manual/View).
You open the Material Editor with a current object. If this object already has a material assigned to it, it becomes the current material. Otherwise, Amapi 3D will assign a default one to it. If you decide to assign a different material, this new selection will become the current material. (It will not be added to the layers composing the previous material.)
q The Catalog of Materials
The Catalog of Materials is automatically opened with the Material Editor. It displays all the texture files on the hard drive. With the Simplified Material Editor you can browse through the materials available, assign a material to the current object, but not save a new material in the Catalog. (See chapter User Manual/Rendering/The Materials/The Catalog of Materials/Browsing the Catalog and Assigning a material from the Catalog to the current object.)
¨ Browsing through the Catalog
The Catalog of Materials works exactly the same way as the Catalog of Objects; see the chapter User Manual/File/The Catalog.
The Primary Materials Directory
The default Directory is the “Primary Materials” directory. The materials in this directory can be used as the basis for the creation of new materials.
¨ Assigning a material from the Catalog to the current object
You can assign a material from the Catalog to objects or groups of objects of the scene. Proceed as follows:
1. Choose a material in the Catalog: click on it and hold down the mouse button.
2. Drag the mouse on top of the visualization window of the current material.
3. Release the mouse button.
q Uniform layer
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Using the Simplified Version, you can edit only four parameters defining the uniform zero level layer:
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¨ Color
The object color (or diffuse color) is what the object reflects when it is lighted by a direct light (daylight or artificial light).
To modify the color:
1. Click on the color sample rectangle.
2. Follow the instructions in the dialog box to set the color you want.
3. Click on the “OK” button if you are satisfied with the new color; otherwise, click on “Cancel”.
You can then set the intensity of the diffuse color using the slider next to the color sample rectangle.
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Practical exercises:
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¨ Shininess
Shininess is the ability of an object to reflect light. You can define the shininess using the corresponding slider.
¨ Transparency
Transparency is the ability of material to let objects located behind it be visible. The more transparent a surface is, the more light can go through it.
You can define the level of transparency using the corresponding slider.
To fully visualize the effects of this parameter, we suggest you activate the “Preview entire scene” option in the “Set Up Render” menu. (See paragraph “Rendering/Display/Preview entire scene”).
¨ Reflection
Surfaces can reflect to a greater or lesser extent the colors surrounding them. Reflection determines the ratio between reflected light and incident light.
You can define the level of reflection using the corresponding slider.
To fully visualize the effects of this parameter, we suggest you activate the “Preview entire scene” option in the “Set Up Render” menu. (See paragraph "Rendering/Display/Preview entire scene").
q The first layer of texture
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If you assign a textured material to the current object, you will be able to set different parameters for the first layer of the material: |
¨ The simplified colormap
The colormap determines the repartition of colors within a pattern. The Simplified version of the Editor allows you to modify the extreme colors.
1. Click on a break point symbol (icon marking a color change in the colormap).
2. Select the color you are looking for, following the dialog box’s instructions.
3. Click on the “OK” button if you are satisfied with the new color; otherwise, click on “Cancel”.
¨ Proportion
Increases or decreases the importance of an element of the pattern. In the case of the “Brick” texture, for instance, you can increase the thickness of the cement between the bricks. This parameter modifies only textures such as “brick”, “grid”, or “noise”.
¨ Density
Sets the repetition and size of the pattern applied to the surface of the object.
For instance: the higher the Proportion parameter for a tiled floor texture, the smaller the tiles, and, of course, the higher the number of tiles.
The slider button automatically comes back to the center of the slider after each modification of the Density parameter, indicating that there is no limit to the density parameter.
This parameter modifies only 2D textures applied using the “cylinder” and “plane” mapping types.
¨ Orientation
You can rotate the texture using this slider. It will rotate the texture between –90° and +90°.
q More parameters
Click on the “More parameters” button to display the Extended version of the Material Editor. There, you will be able to duplicate and customize more complex materials using numerous settings. You will also be able to save your materials in the Catalog of Materials and be able to use them in other scenes.
We will now see the Extended Version of the Editor.
