Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
colors (default) to two colors or it can be a constant color. There are also options to mimic an overcast sky or
daylight. Textures can be added to the environment just as they are on objects. Photographic environments
can be used to add light and reflections, or they can act as a backdrop to the scene and add an extra level of
realism to finished renders.
Lights and Cameras
Lights and cameras are listed individually in the Shader Tree. Lights have materials assigned to them, which
can control the color of light and shadow much like the materials used on objects control the final color.
In addition to color control, light materials also control the way the light interacts with different aspects of
materials in the scene. Light can even be visible in the scene via volumetrics. This mimics the effect of light
that hits tiny pieces of particulate matter in the air. Just like environments and materials, textures can also be
used to control many aspects of the light.
The Camera options have many controls, just like real-world cameras. There are three types of cameras
in modo: Perspective (like a standard camera), Orthographic (cameras with no perspective), and Spherical
(shows everything around the camera position). For most purposes, the Perspective camera is the only one
needed. Some effects can also be applied in the Cameras option. These include Depth Of Field, Motion Blur,
and Stereoscopic. The details of lights and cameras are covered in future chapters.
Adding Procedural Textures
Textures provide a way of adding detail to surfaces. One of the ways to create this type of texture variance is
by applying mathematical procedures to different channels that create more-complex effects. These proced-
ural textures can be added as layers to any material. Values placed in these layers will override the settings
in the main material (as discussed in the preceding section) unless opacity is reduced, a mask is added, or a
blending mode is used. Many 3D applications employ a set of similar procedural textures, so we will look at
the common ones first. These procedural textures can be added by clicking the Add Layer drop-down menu
in the upper-right corner of the Shader Tree tab.
Basic Textures
The bottom section of the Add Layer drop-down menu is Textures. This contains a good variety of options
to get started creating textures. Looking at the texture options in depth will make exploring the remaining
options much easier because many procedural textures share common settings. The basic textures are Cel-
lular, Checker, Dots, Grid, Noise, Ripples, Weave, and Wood. Examples of each of these styles and their
settings are presented in the following sections.
Cellular
The Cellular texture uses individual “cells” that are placed by using a fractal algorithm to create a pattern.
Circles or varying polygonal shapes can be used as the cells. Colors can be assigned to both the cells and the
area between the cells (Filler Color). In addition, an alpha can be assigned to each of these, to fade the cell
or filler to whatever is underneath the cellular layer. Cell Width sets the amount of space that a particular
cell can take up. A setting of 100% will result in very little filler, and a setting of 0% will make the actual
