Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Painting Your Geometry
(Textures)
Textures and shaders are the key to a great looking animation. The difference
between stunning looks and mediocrity can be as simple as the way your objects
bounce virtual light back at the camera. Here's a good real-world analogy. When I
visited the set of
Star Trek: Deep Space 9
in 1997, I got a chance to check out the prop
shop. A lot of the phasers and other gadget props were just made out of wood, and
in some cases, foam! The key to get them to look like metal fabrications of magic was
simply a paint job. If you approach your 3D world the same way, the usefulness of
high attention to detail in your textures is as plain as day.
Digital paint
In this chapter, we're going to discuss the principles of good shading in 3D. We're
going to talk about all of the parameters of shading in Element 3D and how to think
of them in terms of the real world. Finally, we're going to get the objects that you
just created all textured up and ready in Element 3D.
Exporting your objects to Element 3D
Before you can really get started with texturing your objects, they need to be sent
to
Element 3D
. Let's start with the lamp (as that's the most complex object that
we've made so far). The lamp has several objects that we want to be able to move
independently. For example, if the table gets bumped, we'd like the shades to rock
a little to add some more realism to your motion.
