PC Shareware 2000 January/PCShareware-1-00.iso/s3d/SIMPLY3D/DOCS/UG_IMAGE.DP

Common Ground | 1995-02-17 | 135.8 KB | 715 lines

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The Image Designer
KThe Image Designer is used to process bitmap images.  Images are created by
*2KRenderize Live EZ during the execution of a Final Render command, or loaded
*2Minto Renderize Live EZ as resources for material texture definitions and view
backgrounds.
Image File Characteristics
*cJRenderize Live EZ can load or save images in any one of the following file
formats:
%8 or 24-bit Microsoft Windows bitmap
, 8-bit CompuServe graphic interchange format
JPEG-compressed file format.
8 or 32-bit Sun raster file
"32-bit Renderize Live image format
#Silicon Graphics image file format.
!16, 24 or 32-bit Targa image file
) 8, 24 or 32-bit Tagged image file format
t5Images may be displayed on your graphics card with a
color depth
 of 8-bits
tM(256 colors).  However, these images may actually exist with a color depth of
*2P24-bits (16.7 million colors).  When this is the case, any image operations that
*2Myou perform may be displayed in 8-bits, but the manipulation will be executed
for the 24-bit image.
*B%Images can be stored in any size, or
resolution
.  Resolution is defined as the
tMamount of horizontal and vertical pixels that make up the image.  An image of
*2J1000x800 pixels has 1000 pixels horizontally and 800 pixels vertically.
*AMAfter manipulating an image, you can save that image as a project resource by
selecting the
)S6 command at the upper-left area of the Image Designer.
tKHowever, the image is not saved to disk until you save that image using the
Write Image
Write Image As...
 command from the
 pop-down menu of
the Image Designer.
*AMUnlike other project resources, image files exist completely independent of a
*2Nproject file.  When a project contains images, the project "eye" file contains
*2Ginformation that references these images.  Therefore when you modify an
*2Qimage to use in one project, the image will appear modified in all other projects
*2Icontaining that image, unless you save that image out to a new name after
modifying it.
The Image Designer
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!The Image Operations Command Area
*cCThe Image Operations Command Area, located to the left of the Image
*2NDesigner viewport,  displays the interfaces for image modification operations.
*2OThe interface that appears in this area depends on the button selected from the
*2KImage Operations Command Bar that runs across the top of the Image Designer
*2Kwindow.  When you select an image operation, any buttons, dials and sliders
*2Jused to define and execute that operation are displayed in this area.  The
*2Qspecific operations for each image operation are discussed later in this chapter.
The Viewport
*cIThe Image Designer includes a 640x480 pixel viewport in which the current
*2Oimage is displayed.  If the resolution of an image is larger than the viewport,
*2Nthe viewport displays the upper-left portion of the image.  Using the viewport
*2Kslider bars beside and below the viewport, you can scroll down and right to
*2!view other portions of the image.
*ABWhen you execute commands to modify an image, the effects of those
*26commands are displayed on the image in the viewport.
The Sample Color Well
*cNThe Sample Color Well is located below the viewport.  A color from the current
*2Kimage in the viewport can be chosen for display in the Sample Color Well by
*2Gplacing the pointer in the viewport, holding down the Shift key on your
*2Pkeyboard, and selecting the left mouse button (if you have a 3-button mouse, the
*2Lmiddle mouse button will execute this operation): the color displayed in the
*2NSample Color Well changes to match the color of the individual pixel under the
*2Hcursor.  A dynamic description of pixel color in terms of RGB and HSV is
*20displayed to the right of the Sample Color Well.
Reading and Writing Images
*cDImages can be read into Renderize Live EZ using the File, Load Image
*2Gcommand on the Project Designer.  In addition, images can be loaded and
saved using the
File
)O&pop-down menu in the Image Designer.
Reading an Image
Select the
Read Image
 command under the
 pop-down menu, and a Load
NBrowser appears.  Use this browser to indicate the image type that you wish to
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tQload, the directory where the image is located, and the name of the desired file.
*2GThe use of the Load Browser is described in full in the "Using the File
*28Browser" section of the Project Designer Window chapter.
Writing an Image
*PIThere are two commands under the File pop-down menu that are used to save
an image: the
Write Image
 and
Write Image As...
 commands.  Note that you
t3must save an image as a project resource using the
 command on the
t<Image Designer before you can write that image to disk file.
*ALUse the Write Image command to save the current image to disk file under the
*2Ifilename that it was last saved under.  Use the Write Image As command to
*2Isave the modified image under a new name.  When you select this command a
*2LSave Browser appears, and you can assign an image name by selecting from the
*2OFile List or by typing in a name.  The file type that is saved is determined by
*2Ithe filename extension that you type in.  If you don't specify a filename
*2Rextension the image is saved according to the currently selected file type.  After
*2Hyou select the OK button, another menu will appear to prompt you for the
*23desired color depth and compression, if applicable.
*APNote that the default image file type, color depth and compression settings that
*2Kappear when you save an image can be changed using the Options, Preferences
*27command on the Menu Bar of the Project Designer window.
&Copying Images to and from the Windows
*K    Clipboard
*cGImages can be copied to and from other Windows applications through the
*2DWindows Clipboard.  Renderize Live EZ copies only device-independent
*2Jbitmaps into the Clipboard, and similarly, accepts only device-independent
bitmaps from the Clipboard.
Edit, Copy
9 command in the Menu Bar of the Image Designer copies the
tJcurrent image resource, including that image's color map, into the Windows
*2PClipboard.  Note that regardless of the actual color depth of the original image
*2Nresource (8 bit, 16 bit or 24 bit), the color depth of the image copied to the
*2>Clipboard will depend on the color depth of your display card.
Edit, Paste
7 command on the Menu Bar of the Image Designer copies a
tKbitmap from the windows Clipboard into the Image Designer in Renderize Live
*2,EZ, and makes that bitmap an image resource.
The Image Designer
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)Manipulating Images: The Image Operations
Commands
*cJEach of the image manipulation commands are described below.  However, the
*2Nbest way to learn the effect that each of these commands has on an image is to
*2Hexecute the commands and see their results visually.  Image manipulation
*2Jcommands may take some time to execute, depending on the size of the image
file being manipulated.
*AJRemember that none of the image operations you execute are saved until you
press the
)S@ button at the upper-left of the Image Designer.  And even then,
Qthese changes are not saved to disk until you select the File, Save or File, Save
*29As commands on the Menu Bar of the Image Designer window.
+Bm3Executing Image Operations Over a Part of the Image
MMany of the operations discussed below can be executed over the entire image,
*2Lor over only a portion of that image.  To perform an image operation over an
*2Earea of an image as opposed to over the entire image, you must draw a
*2Ebounding box.  To do so, move the pointer over the image in the Image
*2KDesigner viewport and press the left mouse button to define a corner of the
*2Lbounding box.  Now with the left mouse button depressed, drag the pointer to
*2Hexpand and define a rectangle.  Release the mouse button to complete the
*2Mrectangle.  The rectangle can now be moved to another location by pointing to
*2Mthe lower-right corner of the bounding box, holding down the Shift key on the
*2Ikeyboard, and pressing the left mouse button (use the middle mouse button
*2Pinstead, if you have a 3-button mouse), or it can be re-sized by pointing to the
*2Klower-right corner of the bounding box and pressing the right mouse button.
*AAThe following image operations can be executed in a bounding box:
*2IContrast/Gamma, Brighten, Saturate, Hue, Blur, Focus, Normalize, Recolor,
*21Posterize, Monochrome, Invert, Mirror and Emboss.
*ANTo reset the area affected by a command so that it is executed over the entire
image, press the
< button on the far right side of the Image Designer to reset
+the bounding box to cover the entire image.
 The Contrast/Gamma Operation
wwpwp
wwpwp
wpwpw
GMake an image lighter or darker by adjusting the contrast of the image.
*2GContrast can be altered for all of the colors of the image together, or
*2@independently for the red, green and blue elements of the image.
Linked
E button is enabled by default, meaning contrast is altered for all of
Cthe colors of the image together.  When this is the case, a single
Contrast
 dial
Oappears.  A contrast value of 1.0 is the default value for the image.  Reducing
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tKcontrast below 1.0 will make the image brighter; raising contrast above 1.0
darkens the image.
Enable the
R/G/B
)t= button to alter the contrast of each of the color components
tMindependently.  When this button is enabled, three dials appear; one each for
*2Gthe red, green and blue elements of the image.  Values are dialed in as
*2!described in the paragraph above.
*B5After setting the desired contrast values, press the
Execute Contrast
 button to
tKmodify the image according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will
*2-update to display the effect of your changes.
 The Brighten Operation
tPAdjust the brightness of an image by increasing or decreasing the color value of
*2Teach pixel by a constant factor.  Brightness can be altered for all of the colors of
*2Pthe image together, or independently for the red, green and blue elements of the
image.
Linked
D button is enabled by default, meaning brightness is altered for all
tFof the colors of the image together.  When this is the case, a single
Brighten
tKdial appears.  A value of 1.0 is the default value for the image.  Reducing
*2Obrightness below 1.0 will make the image darker; raising it above 1.0 brightens
the image.
Enable the
R/G/B
)t4 button to alter the brightness of each of the color
tKcomponents independently.  When this button is enabled, three dials appear;
*2None each for the red, green and blue elements of the image.  Values are dialed
*2'in as described in the paragraph above.
*B,After setting the desired values, press the
Execute Brightness
 button to modify
tNthe image according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will update to
*2#display the effect of your changes.
 The Saturate Operation
wwpwwp
wwpwwpw
tGAdjust the saturation of an image by increasing or decreasing the color
*38saturation of each pixel by a constant factor.  Use the
Saturate
 dial to change
tLthe saturation number: values above 1.0 increase the color saturation of the
*2Gimage, making it appear more vivid; values below 1.0 reduce saturation,
*2+making the image appear more monochromatic.
*B+After setting the desired value, press the
Execute Saturate
 button to modify the
tJimage according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will update to
*2#display the effect of your changes.
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 The Hue Operation
pwpwp
GAdjust the hue of an image by changing the color hue of each pixel by a
constant value.  Use the
Hue dial
) to change the hue of the image among the
+three primary colors (red, green and blue).
*B+After setting the desired value, press the
Execute Hue
 button to modify the
Jimage according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will update to
*2#display the effect of your changes.
 The Blur Operation
4Blur an image: make it appear "fuzzier".  Press the
Execute Blur
 button to
Pmodify the image. The image in the viewport will update to display the effect of
your changes.
 The Focus Operation
5Focus an image: make it appear "sharper".  Press the
Execute Focus
 button to
Pmodify the image. The image in the viewport will update to display the effect of
your changes.
 The Resize Operation
NResize an image in terms of the number of horizontal and vertical pixels.  The
*2Phorizontal and vertical dimensions can be resized independently, therefore, this
*2Ocommand can change the aspect ratio (the height to width ratio) of the image as
*2Nit resizes it.  Since none of the image is discarded and nothing can be added,
*2>changing the aspect ratio of an image will distort that image.
Use the
X Res
 and
Y Res
)k6 type-ins to enter the desired image size.  The values
Pthat initially appear indicate the current number of pixels horizontally (X Res)
*2Rand vertically (Y Res).  If no aspect ratio has been specified (select "Any" using
Aspect Ratio
9 pop-down menu described below), then the X Res and Y Res
Jvalues can be typed in independently.  However, if an aspect ratio is set,
*2Gmodifying the X Res will automatically update the Y Res to maintain the
*2;horizontal-to-vertical aspect ratio that has been selected.
*BHTo select the desired aspect ratio for the resized image, select on the
Aspect
Ratio
)aE pop-down menu.  Use "Any" when you want to manipulate the horizontal
Land vertical resolutions of an image independently; use "Same" to resize the
*2Mimage without changing its aspect ratio.  Otherwise, select one of the ratios
*2Qlisted here, and the system will automatically maintain the selected aspect ratio
*2(when you type in new X or Y resolutions.
 and
Smooth
8buttons are mutually exclusive selections that determine
Khow the image is resized.  If Smooth is enabled, the resizing process takes
*2Plonger, but the quality of the image is better.  However, the image is "smoothed
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tSout" during resizing, so some detail may be lost.  If Fast is enabled, the resizing
*2Oprocess is quicker, and the resulting image is sharper.  However, the sharpness
*2Eof the image may reveal limitations inherent in the resizing process.
*B+After setting the desired value, press the
Execute Resize
 button to modify the
tJimage according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will update to
*2#display the effect of your changes.
 The Crop Operation
DDGww
DHwwtGw
wwDGw
pwwtD
DDHww
wxDww
DGwxDGw
DwxDGw
DGtDGw
tNCrop an image: define a rectangle on the image, and discard everything outside
*2Nthe rectangle.  Use crop to isolate an "area of interest" on an image from the
rest of the image.
*AJTo crop an image, you need to define a rectangular area on the image to be
*2Icropped.  Move the pointer into the viewport, position the pointer at the
*2Nlocation where you wish the crop rectangle to begin, then press the left mouse
*2Nbutton to fix that corner.  Holding the mouse button down, drag the pointer to
*2Nexpand the rectangular and define a crop area.  Release the button to complete
*2Ithe bounding box.  Press the left mouse button again to redefine the box.
*AOOnce a rectangle is defined it can be moved. Point to a spot on the rectangular
*2Kbounding box, then hold down the Shift key and press the left mouse button:
*2Mnow as you drag the pointer, the bounding box moves accordingly.  Release the
*2 mouse button to place the box.
*AQThe rectangle can also be re-sized.  Point to the right edge of the bounding box,
*2Lpress the right mouse button and drag the pointer to resize the bounding box
*2Nalong the horizontal dimension.  Point to the bottom edge of the bounding box,
*2Lpress the right mouse button and drag the pointer to resize the bounding box
*2Nalong the vertical dimension.  Point to the lower right corner or the bounding
*2Mbox, press the right mouse button and drag the pointer to resize the bounding
*2/box horizontally and vertically simultaneously.
*B0After defining the desired crop area, press the
Execute Crop
 button to modify
tNthe image according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will update to
*2#display the effect of your changes.
The Normalize Operation
tKNormalize the brightness over an image.  Using Normalize, you can select an
*2Harea of the image, and adjust the brightness of the rest of the image to
*2Nnormalize it against the area you selected.  This command is especially useful
*2Lin normalizing the brightness of images to be used as texture swatches, such
*2Jthat when the image texture is repeated, there is no blatant difference in
*22brightness where the texture ends and is repeated.
*AITo select a rectangular area to normalize from, move the pointer into the
*2Kviewport, position the pointer at the location where you wish the normalize
*2Qrectangle to begin, then press the left mouse button to fix that corner.  Holding
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Lthe mouse button down, drag the pointer to expand the rectangular and define
*2Pan area.  Release the button to complete the bounding box.  Press the left mouse
*2!button again to redefine the box.
*AOOnce a rectangle is defined it can be moved. Point to a spot on the rectangular
*2Kbounding box, then hold down the Shift key and press the left mouse button:
*2Mnow as you drag the pointer, the bounding box moves accordingly.  Release the
*2 mouse button to place the box.
*AQThe rectangle can also be re-sized.  Point to the right edge of the bounding box,
*2Mpress the right mouse button and drag the pointer to resize the box along the
*2Nhorizontal dimension.  Point to the bottom edge of the bounding box, press the
*2Lright mouse button and drag the pointer to resize the box along the vertical
*2Pdimension.  Point to the lower right corner or the bounding box, press the right
*2Omouse button and drag the pointer to resize the box horizontally and vertically
simultaneously.
)NF dial allows you to determine the degree of normalization.  The higher
Qthe number that is dialed in here, the stronger the normalization effect will be.
*B+After defining the desired area, press the
Execute Normalize
 button to modify
Nthe image according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will update to
*2#display the effect of your changes.
 The Recolor Operation
wwp""
.Change the hue of a set of colors in an image.
The Recolor command allows
Hyou to "swap out" one set of colors with another set of colors.  Use the
*2Gpop-down button in this image operation to indicate whether you wish to
*3!perform the Recolor operation by
 or by
)k    Intensity
#The Recolor command set includes a
Source
Color Well and
Destination
 Color
NWell.  The color displayed in the Source Well is the color that is going to be
*2Kaltered.  To choose a Source color from the image in the viewport, move the
*2Opointer to the place in the image where you wish to select a Source color, then
*2Phold down the Shift key and press the left mouse button: the color at this point
*2Lis displayed in the Sample Color Well at the bottom-left corner of the Image
*2MDesigner.  Now you can drag this color from the Sample Color Well and drop it
into the Source Well.
*ALThe color in the Destination Well is the color that the Source color will be
*30changed to.  Select the desired color using the
Color Slider Bar
 that appears
Ion this command set.  As you slide the color bar slider, the color in the
*2LDestination Well updates accordingly.  The color in the Destination Well can
*2Ealso be selected using the Color Command Set in the Project Designer.
Use the
    Delta Hue
; (or Delta Intensity) dial to determine the amount of color
Ovalues that will be affected by this operation.  The higher the number that you
*2Pdial in here, the more color hues to each side of the selected Source color will
*2Nbe affected.  When this command is executed, the Source color is replaced with
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tRthe Destination color, and all colors that fall within the Delta Hue of the Source
*2Jcolor are replaced by the equivalent "delta hue" of the Destination color.
*B,After setting the desired values, press the
Execute Recolor
 button to modify the
tJimage according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will update to
*2#display the effect of your changes.
 The Monochrome Operation
wwp""
tHMonochrome changes an image to a single color hue with variation only in
saturation and value.
Color Scale
< pop-down menu allows you to select the color hue to use.  A
tImonochrome image doesn't necessarily have to be shades of gray: it can be
*2=shades of red, green, blue, yellow, magenta and cyan as well.
*B3After selecting the desired color scale, press the
Execute Monochrome
 button
tNto modify the image according to your changes.  The image in the viewport will
*2-update to display the effect of your changes.
 The Posterize Operation
tFProduce a stylized look by reducing the number of colors in the image.
*2LExisting image colors are modified to produce an image with fewer colors.
*2LRemember that the image you are modifying is displayed in 256 colors, but it
*20may actually exist in up to 16.7 million colors.
First, select the
Color Palette
1 to use in posterizing the current image: you can
posterize in
Primary
 colors, or you can use the
Original
 colors in the image as
t#the base palette for posterization.
Select the
# of distinct colors
j- pop-down menu to select the number of colors
tNthe modified image is to contain.  When the command is executed, the colors in
*2Jthe image will be assigned to the posterization color that it most closely
resembles.
*B8After selecting the desired number of colors, press the
Execute Posterize
tGbutton to modify the image according to your changes.  The image in the
*2;viewport will update to display the effect of your changes.
 The Invert Operation
tMInvert the color hue of each pixel, changing each to its complementary color.
*2NThis command effectively creates a "negative" of the current image.  Press the
Execute Invert
{; button to modify the image. The image in the viewport will
t-update to display the effect of your changes.
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 The Rotate Operation
BRotate an image on its center. The image will rotate clockwise by
degrees,
 degrees or
)?8 degrees, depending on which of these mutually exclusive
buttons is enabled.  Press the
Execute Rotate
  button to modify the image. The
Himage in the viewport will update to display the effect of your changes.
 The Mirror Operation
wwpww
IFlip an image from one side to the other to produce a mirror image of the
original.  Select the
Direction
pop-down and select
Right/Left
Top/Bottom
Ndepending on the direction in which you want the current image to be mirrored.
When you press the
Execute Mirror
' button, the image in the viewport will
-update to display the effect of your changes.
 The Composite Operation
FCombine several "smaller" images together on a large background.  This
*2Mcommand is used to make one big image out of several smaller images to create
a collage image.
*ALBefore using this command, load into the Image Designer the image that is to
*2Lbe used as a background.  This should be a relatively high resolution image.
*2INext, drag from the Images Resource Area of the Project Designer an image
*2Jthat you wish to composite into the background image, and drop it into the
image
Source
8Well.  Now a rectangle appears representing this image's
Lresolution.  Move this rectangle over the part of the background image where
*3.you wish to place this image, then select the
Execute Composite
 button to
Opaste the image down in this location.  If you don't like the location at which
*2Lthe image is pasted, move the rectangular box to another location and select
*2LExecute Composite again: the image will be moved to this new location.  When
*2Lsatisfied with the location of the pasted image, use the Save command at the
*25upper-left of the window to save the composite image.
If the
)e    Use Matte
= button is enabled, the alpha channel of an image is "dropped
Sout" as it is composited.  That is,  if you generate a rendering with a solid color
*2Mbackground, that background is not displayed in the composite image: only the
*2Nrendered objects are visible.  When you perform a rendering over a solid color
*2Nbackground, that background color is automatically defined as the "transparent
*2Rmatte" (it is the area of the alpha channel definition).  However, this matte only
*2Hremains active if the image was saved directly from the Project Designer
*2Oviewport using the "Save as Test #" button, or if was saved to disk as a 32 bit
*2Mimage (32 bit images save 24-bit color plus an 8-bit alpha channel; Renderize
*2JLive EZ supports 32-bit output to TGA or RAS files).  In addition, you can
*3'define a matte for any image using the
Matte
 Image Operation.
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tIYou can repeat this operation with as many different Source images as you
*2+wish until the composite image is complete.
 The Matte Operation
tNCreate a transparent "Matte" definition over the current image using the 8-bit
*2Jalpha channel.  When this image is used as the Color Texture in a material
*2Ldefinition, the area over which the matte is created will appear transparent
when rendered onto an object.
*AJThis image operation is extremely useful in several circumstances.  First,
*2Kmaterials that have some "see-through" areas (such as a loose wicker weave)
*2Hcan be accurately represented by creating the transparent matte over the
*2N"see-through" sections of the image.  Or, this command can be used to populate
*2Ka view with 2D images of people or plants.  A matte can be defined over the
*2Kimage of a person such that the solid color background becomes transparent,
*2Oleaving only the person's form.  In the former application, the resulting image
*2Pis part of a material that is mapped onto an existing piece of geometry.  In the
*2Jlatter example, it may be necessary to generate a new piece of geometry on
*2Mwhich to map the person.  Renderize Live EZ supports this through the ability
*2>to create simple 3D planes on which these images are rendered.
*AFCreating an alpha channel matte for an image and using that image in a
*2Pmaterial requires several steps.  First you must define the alpha channel matte;
*2Gthis determines which parts of the image will become transparent during
*2Grendering.  Next, this image must be included as the Color Texture in a
*3'material definition.  And finally, the
Matte Drop Out
 toggle on the Material
tKDesigner window must be enabled so that the alpha channel is used to create
the drop-out effect.
*ALTo create a transparency matte, first select the color that you wish to make
*2Odisappear during rendering.  This is usually the background color of the image,
*2Oand in many cases it is black.  To choose the color, point to that color in the
*2NImage Designer viewport, then hold down the Shift key and select with the left
*2Kmouse button: the color that you chose now appears in the color well at the
*2Lbottom-left of the Image Designer.  Now drag this color from this color well
and drop it into the
Background Color
well.  Next, use the
Delta
 dial to
tLindicate the range of colors over which to set the matte.  A low Delta value
*2Olimits the operation to the single color value that you chose.  As you increase
*2Lthe Delta value, more colors of similar value to the color you chose will be
*2    affected.
*B3After you have assigned the drop-out color, select
Create Matte
 to generate an
tIalpha channel transparency matte for the current image.  This command may
*2Ntake several moments to execute, and nothing will change on the image as it is
*2Pdisplayed.  To view the location of the transparency map you created, select the
Show Matte
> toggle: those areas of the image that will appear transparent
tPduring rendering are displayed in black; those areas of the image that will show
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Mduring rendering are displayed in white.  After viewing the matte definition,
*2Nselect the Show Matte toggle again to return to normal display of the image.
Blur Matte
= button creates a semitransparent edge between those areas of
Nthe image where the alpha matte is on and those areas where the alpha matte is
*2Ooff.  This creates an anti-aliased effect to "feather" the edges of the visible
*2Nimage, such that it integrates more smoothly with an  image on top of which it
is overlaid.
*AOIn addition to creating a matte definition for an image, it is also possible to
*2Ocopy onto the current image the matte definition created for another image.  To
*2Ndo this, drag the image that contains the matte definition you want to use and
drop it into the
Source Image
1 well.  A rectangular box appears in the viewport
Orepresenting the size of the source image.  This box can be repositioned (using
*2MShift+left mouse button) or resized (using the right mouse button): the alpha
*2Cchannel matte associated with the image is repositioned and resized
*2Oaccordingly.  When the source image is positioned and resized as desired, press
Copy Matte
? button to copy the matte definition from the source image onto
Ethe image that is currently displayed in the Image Designer viewport.
*d&Saving Alpha Channel Matte Information
*PMIf you wish to save an image's matte definition to disk along with the image,
*2Kyou must save that image in a 32-bit image format: either TGA or RAS.  Only
*2632 bit image files can save alpha channel information.
*d9Populating a View with 2D Images (People and Landscaping)
*PKIf you wish to populate your view with 2D images (such as people, trees and
*2Pplants), you must not only set a transparency matte as described above, you also
*2Lneed to create a new piece of geometry for each 2D image.  Renderize Live EZ
*3!simplifies this process with the
Create 3D Object
 button.  After defining a
Ematte, select this command and a simple rectangular 3D object will be
*2Mgenerated for the current image, and added to the current View in the Project
*2IDesigner viewport.  The proportions of the object will match those of the
*2Kimage.  In addition, a new material will be created using this image as the
*39Color Texture, and the material definition will have the
Matte Drop out
 button
Jenabled.  This material will be assigned to the new object with orthogonal
*2:texture mapping perpendicular to the face of the object.
*ANIn other words, selecting Create 3D Object automates all of the steps involved
*2Lin using a 2D image as an object in a View. It creates a rectangular face on
*2Dwhich the image will be mapped, and sets up the material and mapping
*2Rdefinitions accordingly.  All you have to do is orient and scale the object in the
*2KView: treat the 3D rectangle on which the image will be mapped as you would
treat any other 3D objects.
*ANRemember that this kind of object is really only 2D.  It is the image, not the
*2Qobject that is the desired form here, and that image only exists in 2 dimensions.
The Image Designer
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tLTherefore, you want to position the rectangular object to which the image is
*2Passigned such that it faces the camera directly; otherwise the lack of depth may
*2Pbe apparent.  In addition, remember that shadows and other lighting effects will
*29be affected by the lack of dimensionality of this object.
 The Emboss Operation
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tMUse the color value information (Intensity) to create an embossed effect from
*2Gthe current image.  When you execute this command, the current image is
*2Hconverted to gray scale, and areas of the image with marked contrasts in
*2!intensity appear to be embossed.
*B)Before executing the command, select the
Emboss From
 pop-down and choose
tKthe direction from which the "embossed" image is illuminated: the direction
you indicate here,
Above
Diagonal
!, determines the way the image is
shaded.
 The Print Operation
tIPrint the current image using the Windows Print Manager.  When you select
*2Ethis command, you are prompted to select how you wish the image to be
formatted on the page.
*APStretch to Page scales the image up or down to cover the entire area of the page
that you are printing.
*AKBest Fit prints the image without scaling it, and will rotate the image, if
*2Knecessary, to fit it onto the page.  If your image file size is 1200 pixels
*2Phorizontally (X resolution), and you are printing on a 300dpi printer, the image
*29will print out to a size of 4 inches across (1200/300=4).
*AMScale allows you to select a specific X and Y Scale at which the image should
*2Obe printed.  A value of 1 indicates no change of scale.  Values below and above
*281 will reduce or increase the size of the printed image.
 The Print to Screen Operation
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tODisplay the current image over the entire screen display, temporarily replacing
*2Ithe Renderize Live EZ interface.  When an image is printed to the display
*2Rmonitor, it is done with no re-scaling to fit the image onto the screen.  Instead,
*2Nthe screen becomes a "view window" to the image.  If that image is larger than
*2Othe screen resolution, the view window can be panned to view other parts of the
*2Mimage.  For example, if your display resolution is 1024x768 and your image is
*2N2000x1500, the entire image is printed, but only a 1024x768 area of that image
is visible at one time.
*AJWhen you print an image to the screen, that image fills the entire screen,
*2Kreplacing any application windows that are currently open.  To pan the view
*2Oaround other parts of the image, press the left mouse button and drag the mouse
The Image Designer
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Ito control the direction of the pan.  When you have finished viewing your
*2Nimage and you wish to remove it from the screen display, press the right mouse
button.
The Image Designer
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Notes
The Image Designer
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Windows 3.10 (Maker 1.03)
Nick Josephs

Visual Software, Inc.

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