[WML-Source: TextureButtons.wml][TOC][Part00]
[chapter]
[section]The TextureButtons
The settings in this ButtonsWindow visualise the Texture
DataBlock. These buttons are only displayed if:
- the active Material has a Texure (see MaterialButtons).
- the active Lamp has a Texture (see LampButtons).
- the World block has a Texture (see WorldButtons)
Blender automatically selects the correct setting if the TextureButtons are called up from the MaterialButtons, LampButtons or WorldButtons.
Hotkey: F6.
Each Texture has a 3D coordinate (the texture coordinate) as input. What happens here is determined by the type of texture:
- Intensity textures: return one value. The preview render in this window shows this as grey values.
- RGB textures: returns three values; they always work on colour.
- Bump textures: returns three values; they always work on the normal vector. Only the "Stucci" and "Image" texture can give normals.
The DataButtons in the Header indicate what Texture block is visualised.
[point]Texture Browse (MenuBut)
Select another Texture from the list provided, or create a new block.
[point]TE: (TextBut)
Give the current Texture block a new and unique name.
[point]Users (But)
If the Texture block has more than one user, this button shows the total. Press the button to make the Texture "Single User". An exact copy is then created.
[point]Remove Link (But)
Delete the link to the Texture.
[point]Auto Name (But)
Blender assigns a name to the Texture.
[section]The standard TextureButtons
This group of buttons determines the type of user from which the Texture must be displayed.
Blender automatically selects the correct settings if the TextureButtons are invoked from the MaterialButtons, LampButtons or WorldButtons.
[point]MA: (or LA: or WO:) (TextBut)
The name of the DataBlock that has a (possible) link to the Texture.
[point]Mat (RowBut)
The Texture of the active Material is displayed.
[point]World (RowBut)
The Texture of the World block is displayed.
[point]Lamp (RowBut)
The Texture of the Lamp is displayed.
This group of buttons shows the channels. In this example, we see
that of the eight available channels for the Material, only the first
is linked to a Texture.
The program includes nine types of textures. These are described in
detail later in this manual.
[point]Default Vars (But)
Changes the values set for the type of texture to the standard values.
[point]Bright (NumSli)
The 'brightness' of the colour or intensity of a texture. In fact, a fixed number is added or subtracted.
[point]Contr (NumSli)
The 'contrast' of the colour or intensity of a texture. This is actually a multiplication.
[subsection]Colorband
Use this option to create a smooth colour progression. Intensity textures are thus changed into an RGB texture.
The use of Colorband with a sharp transistion can cause aliasing.
[point]Colorband (TogBut)
Switches the use of Colorband on or off.
[point]Add (TogBut)
Adds a new colour to the Colorband.
[point]Cur: (NumBut)
The active colour from the Colorband.
[point]Del (TogBut)
Delete the active colour.
[point]Pos: (NumBut)
The position of the active colour. Values range from 0.0 to 1.0. This can also be entered using LeftMouse (hold-move) in the Colorband.
[point]E, L, S (RowBut)
The interpolation type with which colours are mixed, i.e. 'Ease', 'Linear' and 'Spline'. The last gives the most fluid progression.
[point]A, R, G, B (NumSli)
The Alpha and RGB value of the active colour.
[subsection]Image texture
The Image texture is the most frequently used and most advanced of
Blender's textures. The standard bump-mapping and
perspective-corrected MipMapping, filtering and anti-aliasing built
into the program guarantee outstanding image quality (set the
DisplayButtons->OSA ON for this). Because pictures are
two-dimensionaal, you must specify in the mapping buttons how the 3D
texture coordinate is converted to 2D; mapping is a part of the
MaterialButtons.
[point]InterPol (TogBut)
This option interpolates the pixels of an Image. This becomes visible when you enlarge the picture.
Turn this option OFF to keep the pixels visible - they are correctly anti-aliased. This last feature is useful for regular patterns, such as lines and tiles; they remain 'sharp' even when enlarged considerably.
[point]UseAlpha (TogBut)
Use the alpha layer of the Image.
[point]CalcAlpha (TogBut)
Calcualte an alpha based on the RGB values of the Image.
[point]NegAlpha (TogBut)
Reverses the alpha value.
[point]MipMap (TogBut)
Generates a series of pictures, each half the size of the former one. This optimises the filtering process. When this option is OFF, you generally get a sharper image, but this can significantly increase calculation time if the filter dimension becomes large.
[point]Fields (TogBut)
Video frames consist of two different images (fields) that are merged by horizontal line.
This option makes it possible to work with field images. It ensures that when 'Fields' are rendered (DisplayButtons->Field) the correct field of the Image is used in the correct field of the rendering.
MipMapping cannot be combined with "Fields".
[point]Rot90 (TogBut)
Rotates the Image 90 degrees when rendered.
[point]Movie (TogBut)
Movie files (AVIs supported by Blender,
SGI-movies) and 'anim5' files can also be used for an Image. To do
this, set the "Frames" NumBut to the total number of frames.
[point]Anti (TogBut)
Graphic images such as cartoons and pictures that consist of only a few colours with a large surface filling can be anti-aliased as a built in pre-process.
[point]St Field (TogBut)
Normally, the first field in a video frame begins on the first line. Some frame grabbers do this differently!
[point]Filter (NumBut)
The filter size used by the options "MipMap" and "Interpol".
[point]Load Image (But)
The (largest) adjacent window becomes an ImageSelectWindow. Specify
here what file must be read to become an Image.
[point]...(But)
This small button does the same thing, but now simply gives a FileSelect.
[point]ImageBrowse (MenuBut)
You can select a previously created Image from the list
provided. Image blocks can be reused without taking up extra memory.
[point]File Name (TextBut)
Enter a file name here, after which a new Image block is created.
[point]Users (But)
Indicates the number of users for the Image. The "Single User" option
cannot be activated here. It has no significance for Images.
[point]Pack (TogBut)
Indicates the packing of the image. Pressed (grey) means the image is
packed into the Blend-file. Klicking on the Button packs or
unpacks the image. If a unpack option is triggered the
unpack-menu pops up.
[point]Reload (But)
Force the Image file to be read again.
The following options determine what happens if the texture coordinate
falls outside the Image.
[point]Extend (RowBut)
Outside the Image the colour of the edge is extended.
[point]Clip (RowBut)
Outside the Image, an alpha value of 0.0 is returned. This allows you to 'paste' a small logo on a large object.
[point]ClipCube (RowBut)
The same as "Clip", but now the 'Z' coordinate is calculated as well. Outside a cube-shaped area around the Image, an alpha value of 0.0 is returned.
[point]Repeat (RowBut)
The Image is repeated horizontally and vertically.
[point]Xrepeat (NumBut)
The (extra) degree of repetition in the X direction.
[point]Yrepeat (NumBut)
The (extra) degree of repetition in the Y direction.
[point]MinX, MinY, MaxX, MaxY (NumBut)
Use these to specify a cropping, it appears that the Image actually becomes larger or smaller.
[point]Frames (NumBut)
This activates the animation option; another image file (in the same Image block) will be read per rendered frame. Blender tries to find the other files by changing a number in the file name. Only the rightmost digit is interpreted for this. For example: 01.ima.099.tga + 1 becomes 01.ima.100.tga.
The value of "Frames" indicates the total number of files to be used.
If the option "Movie" is ON, this value must also be set. Now, however, a frame is continually taken from the same file.
[point]Offset (NumBut)
The number of the first picture of the animation.
[point]Fie/Ima (NumBut)
The number of fields per rendered frame. If no fields are rendered, even numbers must be entered here. (2 fields = 1 frame).
[point]Cyclic (TogBut)
The animation Image is repeated cyclically.
[point]StartFr: (NumBut)
The moment - in Blender frames - at which the animation Image must start.
[point]Len (NumBut)
This button determines the length of the animation. By assigning "Len" a higher value than "Frames", you can create a still at the end of the animation.
The "Fra:"-buttons allow you to create a simple montage within an animation Image.
The left button, "Fra" indicates the frame number, the right-hand button indicates how long the frame must be displayed.
[subsection]Environment Maps
Blender allows three types of environment maps:
[point]Static (RowBut)
The map is only calculated once during an animation or after loading a
file.
[point]Dynamic (RowBut)
The map is calculated each time a rendering takes
place. This means moving Objects are displayed correctly in mirroring
surfaces.
[point]Load (RowBut)
When saved as an image file, environment
maps can be loaded from disk. This option allows the fastest rendering
with environment maps.
[point]Free Data (But)
This action releases all images associated
with the environment map. This is how you force a recalculation when using
a Static map.
[point]Save EnvMap (But)
You can save an environment map as an
image file, in the format indicated in the DisplayButtons (F10).
These buttons are drawn when the environment
map type is "Load". The environment map image then is a regular Image block
in the Blender structure.
[point]Load Image (But)
The (largest) adjacent window becomes
an ImageSelectWindow. Specify here what file to read in as environment
map.
[point]...(But)
This small button does the same thing,
but now gives a FileSelect.
[point]ImageBrowse (MenuBut)
You can select a previously loaded map
from the list provided. EnvMap Images can be reused without taking up extra
memory.
[point]File Name (TextBut)
Enter an image file name here, to load as an environment map.
Users (But)
Indicates the number of users for the Image.
Reload (But)
Force the Image file to be read again.
[point]Ob: (TextBut)
Fill in the name of an Object that defines
the center and rotation of the environment map. This can be any Object
in the current Scene.
[point]Filter: (NumBut)
With this value you can adjust the sharpness
or blurriness of the reflection.
[point]Clipsta, ClipEnd (NumBut)
These values define the clipping boundaries
when rendring the environment map images.
[point]CubeRes (NumBut)
The resolution in pixels of the environment
map image.
[point]Don't render layer
Indicate with this option that faces
that exist in a specific layer are NOT rendered in the environment map.
[subsection]Plugin texture
Plugins are pieces of compiled C-code which can be loaded by runtime, to extend a
programms features.
After choosing "Load Plugin" you get a FileWindow which lets you
choose a plugin. The plugins are plattform specific, so be sure to
load a plugin for your operating system.
[subsection]Clouds texture
"Clouds" is a procedural texture. This means that each 3D coordinate can be translated directly to a colour or a value. In this case, a three-dimensional table with pseudo random values is used, from which a fluent interpolation value can be calculated with each 3D coordinate (thanks to Ken Perlin for his masterful article "An Image Synthesizer", from the SIGGRAPH proceedings 1985). This calculation method is also called ~(Perlin) Noise.
[point]Default (RowBut)
The standard Noise, gives an Intensity.
[point]Color (RowBut)
The Noise gives an RGB value.
[point]NoiseSize (NumBut)
The dimension of the Noise table.
[point]NoiseDepth (NumBut)
The depth of the Cloud calculation. A higher number results in a long calculation time, but also in finer details.
[point]Soft Noise, Hard Noise (RowBut)
There are two methods available for the Noise function.
[subsection]Wood texture
"Wood" is also a procedural texture. In this case, bands are generated based on a sine formula. You can also add a degree of turbulence with the Noise formula.
It returns an Intensity value only.
[point]Bands (RowBut)
The standard Wood texture.
[point]Rings (RowBut)
This suggests 'wood' rings.
[point]BandNoise (RowBut)
Applying Noise gives the standard Wood texture a certain degree of turbulence.
[point]RingNoise (RowBut)
Applying Noise gives the rings a certain degree of turbulence.
[point]NoiseSize (NumBut)
The dimension of the Noise table.
[point]Turbulence (NumBut)
The turbulence of the "BandNoise" and "RingNoise" types.
[point]Soft Noise, Hard Noise (RowBut)
There are two methods available for the Noise function.
[subsection]Marble texture
"Marble" is also a procedural texture. In this case, bands are generated based on a sine formula and Noise turbulence.
It returns an Intensity value only.
[point]Soft, Sharp, Sharper (RowBut)
Three pre-sets for soft to more clearly defined Marble.
[point]NoiseSize (NumBut)
The dimensions of the Noise table.
[point]NoiseDepth (NumBut)
The depth of the Marble calculation. A higher value results in greater calculation time, but also in finer details.
[point]Turbulence (NumBut)
The turbulence of the sine bands.
[point]Soft Noise, Hard Noise (RowBut)
The Noise function works with two methods.
[subsection]Magic texture
"Magic" is a procedural texture. The RGB components are generated independently with a sine formula.
[point]Size (NumBut)
The dimensions of the pattern.
[point]Turbulence (NumBut)
The strength of the pattern.
[subsection]Blend texture
This is also a procedural texture. It generates a progression in Intensity.
[point]Lin (RowBut)
A linear progression.
[point]Quad (RowBut)
A quadratic progression.
Ease (RowBut)
A flowing, non-linear progression.
[point]Diag (RowBut)
A diagonal progression.
[point]Sphere (RowBut)
A progression with the shape of a three-dimensional ball.
[point]Halo (RowBut)
A quadratic progression with the shape of a three-dimensional ball.
[point]Flip XY
The direction of the progression is flipped a quarter turn.
[subsection]Stucci texture
This procedural texture generates Noise-based normals.
[point]Plastic (RowBut)
The standard Stucci.
Wall In, Wall out (RowBut)
This is where Stucci gets it name. This is a typical wall structure with holes or bumps.
NoiseSize (NumBut)
The dimensions of the Noise table.
[point]Turbulence (NumBut)
The depth of the Stucci.
[point]Soft Noise, Hard Noise (RowBut)
There are two methods available for working with Noise.
[subsection]Noise texture
Although this looks great, it is not Perlin Noise! This is a true,
randomly generated Noise. This gives a different result every time,
for every frame, for every pixel.
-cw-
Last modified: Tue Oct 24 17:06:00 CEST 2000