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The Matter module allows you to define and animate the parameters which describe the characteristics of an object's appearance.
The appearance of an object can be defined by its surface's colour, texture, transparency, reflectivity, and many other factors.
Rendering calculates these attributes to create a final image.
In this section, the different methods of defining an object's surface appearance are outlined.
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The perspective window is the view that is used for the rendering of the final image.
This view is described as what the camera sees. The camera can be translated and oriented like any other object.
The Camera->Settings allow you to change variables concerning the camera's position and lens type. This affects the final rendered image.
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There are three
distinct shading areas on an object:
When combined, they make up the object's surface material definition.
All aspects of the object's shading (colour, reflectivity, transparency, and
refraction) can be controlled using the Material Editor.
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The Shade view mode provides a quick-shaded view of your scene which closely approximates its final look, by showing the basic material definition of the objects. You can also view textures of an object by activating the Enable Hardware Texturing option in the Shade View Setup dialogue box.
For a more realistic view of the scene, including reflection, shadows, transparency, bump_mapping, etc., use the Preview command.
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Rendering is the final part of creating an object's material definition.
When you render an object, SOFTIMAGE 3D processes the object's surface relative to the light source. This creates a visible surface that is shaded according to the parameters set for material and texture attributes.
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2D textures let you add a sense of realism to an object. 2D textures are maps that are created using picture files.
These picture files can be images you created using SOFTIMAGE 3D, scanned images, images edited in a paint tool, or other images that can be converted to the SOFTIMAGE 3D file format.
When a picture file is mapped to an object's surface, SOFTIMAGE 3D calculates how it is
mapped using the geometry of the object's surface.
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3D textures, often called procedural textures, can be used to create an infinite variety of patterned effects.
Based on three basic pattern categories (marble, wood, and cloud), these patterns can be perturbed and deformed in a variety of ways.
To understand 3D textures, imagine that your object is carved from a solid mass and that the patterns pass through the object's geometry.
Marble creates a pattern of superimposed layers, wood creates a pattern of concentric
cylinders, and cloud creates a pattern of cloud or sponge-like effects.
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Reflectivity can be part of an object's material definition.
To render a reflective object, SOFTIMAGE 3D uses raytracing, which traces the paths of light rays as they bounce from one surface to another.
The visibility of other material parameters, such as those related to the ambient, diffuse, and specular shading areas, decrease as the reflectivity increases.
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Transparency can also be part of an object's material definition. It permits light rays to pass through material.
When an object's material is partially transparent, part of its colour is derived from the material, and part is derived from the background.
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When transparency is part of an object's material definition, you can also define the refraction.
Refraction is the bending of light rays as they pass from one medium to another, such as from air to glass or water.
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You can simulate complex surfaces using bump mapping to create the appearance of roughness on your object.
To do this, you use the alpha channel or RGB intensity of a picture file to simulate a relief pattern.
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Reflectivity mapping can be used to create varying patterns of reflectivity on an object.
When reflectivity is applied as a texture map, SOFTIMAGE 3D reads the alpha or RGB channels of a picture and applies a reflectivity factor. For example, you could make an object reflective only where it has black pixels.
The overall reflectivity of the map can also be blended with the object's material.
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A texture map can be used to define areas of transparency on an object.
When transparency is applied as a texture map, SOFTIMAGE 3D reads the alpha or RGB channels of a picture and applies a transparency factor.
Transparency mapping can be used to create many kinds of effects, such as the translucent patterns on a Chinese teapot, holes in an ornate Christmas tree ball, or coloured patterns of a shadow.
The overall transparency of the map can also be blended with the object's material.
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Reflection mapping can be used to simulate an image reflected on the object's surface, but without using raytracing.
It can also be used to add an extra reflection to an object's reflective, raytraced surface.
Last updated 04-dec-1998