Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Classified Intel
One of the opions used in this part was the projecion opion for the texture; it's an opion
used to project an image into the mesh automaically. In this case, the planet texture is a
projected map. Projected maps are a planar representaion of a 3D element, in this case
a planet. An example of a projected map is a map of the whole world; since the earth is
sphere-like in shape, represening it on a planar surface requires some projecion technique.
The reason for having to use a projected map instead of a simple photo is because the map
will apply extremely easily to the sphere and have no visible arifacts or seams that could
make it look bad.
Creating the nebula background
Our space scene is in need of something else: A good background to have a believable
environment and to reinforce the mood. For this background we're going to create a simple
nebula efect, using Blender's paricle system and some basic composiing. As we'll see, the
main part of the job will be on composiing since the actual 3D scene is very simple to create.
Engage Thrusters
1. Start by adding a new empty scene, and rename it to
Nebula
. Since this scene is
going to have just a few objects and be used only to get a basic image, which we
will use to composite later, the objects' names won't be important at all.
2. Make sure the 3D Cursor is located at the origin of the 3D world (
View → Align
View → Center Cursor
and
View All
or
Shift + C
) and add a camera, move it
-18
units along the
Y axis
, and rotate it
90
degrees on the
X
axis.
3. Next add a cube and then scale it by a factor of
6.2
. In order to be able to look
inside the cube, let's go into the
Properties Editor
, click on the
Object
tab and in
the
Display
panel select
Wire
below the
Type
seing. Coninue by adding a circle,
seing its
Vertices
parameter to
8
and enabling the
Fill
opion.
4. To light the paricles in the scene we're going to need a light, so add a point light;
once added, go to the
Object Data
tab in the
Properties Editor
(the one with the
light throwing four rays around) and set these opions in the
Lamp
panel:
F
Energy: 4
F
Distance: 3
F
Sphere: enabled
The energy value is to get the lit objects looking very bright, the distance and sphere
opions are to limit the efect of the lamp to a certain distance around it; limiing the
distance at which the lamp affects the objects is important to get control on the final
nebula render.
