#Mapping Questions?
9 messages in this thread
Some questions I came upon while reading throught the manuals. I've
normally used Surface/mapping/apply obj. but I found a command
Surface/material/assign face and I'm wondering about ways it can be
used. I'm assuming that surface/material/assign face is the same as
face mapping in the materials editor. Is face mapping the same as
you get when mapping in the lofter or is the lofter map some sort of
continuous map which aligns with each face? Do most of the common
mapped materials work out ok when face mapped? Is face mapping the
same as doing a Create/face/detach then Surface/mapping/apply obj.
and then doing Create/object/attach. Thanks Kim
You're confusing some core 3DS concepts here, Kim. My first
recommendation is that you go through the tutorials. Beyond that,
notice that you mention Surface/mapping/apply obj. and compare it to
Surface/material/assign face. In the one case, you're referring to
_mapping_, which establishes mapping coordinates on an object for
mapped materials, while the second command has to do with assigning
_materials_ to an object at the face level. The Face Map button in
the Materials Editor, on the other hand (or on the third hand) is a
special function that's carried with a material and affects the way
it's mapped to any object. On the _fourth_ hand, Create/face/detach
is a modeling function that alters the structure of an object and has
nothing to do with materials or mapping.
Again, I highly recommend you spend time with the tutorials. There's a
lot of stuff in 3DS, and we tried to organize the tutorials so the
various concepts and functions are introduced in a logical order.
– Jack
Hi Jack,
Sorry, but I don't think I explained my question clearly.
———————————————————————-
—
>You're confusing some core 3DS concepts here, Kim. My first
recommendation is that
you go through the tutorials. Beyond that, notice that you mention
Surface/mapping/apply obj. and compare it to Surface/material/assign
face. In the one
case, you're referring to _mapping_, which establishes mapping
coordinates on an
object for mapped materials, while the second command has to do with
assigning
_materials_ to an object at the face level. The Face Map button in
the Materials
Editor, on the other hand (or on the third hand) is a special
function that's carried
with a material and affects the way it's mapped to any object. On the
_fourth_ hand,
Create/face/detach is a modeling function that alters the structure
of an object and
has nothing to do with materials or mapping.
—————————————————————–
Whew that went fairy well (:-< (ha)
I was referring to mapped materials for complex objects where one
type of mapping is
not suitable . Hence the detaching the faces ( to apply mapping
coordinates).
Basically my question was comparing using a face mapped material in
leiu of detaching
the faces, applying mapping coordinates separately and then applying
a mapped
material.
And how does that compare to mapping during lofting and then applying
a mapped
material.
Sorry for the previous mess, and thanks for your rapid reply.
Its really nice in these days of big software houses/ivory towers to
be able to get a
reply straight from the horses mouth. (so to speak)
Thanks again,
Kim
Hi Kim,
<< Basically my question was comparing using a face mapped material in leiu of
detaching
the faces, applying mapping coordinates separately and then applying a mapped
material. >>
When comparing these 2 alternatives, note the picture of the GSphere
on pg. 9-67 that was face mapped. In this particular case, detaching
faces/applying mapping coords/reattaching would give you more control
of the result over face mapping. However, note the cube and the
cylinder that was face mapped and the result is satisfactory.
<< And how does that compare to mapping during lofting and then applying
a mapped material. >>
Please review pgs. 6-98..6-101 for additional insights.
jonas[adesk]
Okay. Now that I've got a better idea of where you're coming from, I'll try it
again. <g>
Face Mapping, as mentioned, is carried with the material and forces a
copy of the material to each facet of the mesh where it's applied —
completely ignoring any mapping coordinates that might have been
applied. In addition, the definition of "facet" varies depending on
whether the facets of the mesh consist of single triangle meshes or
double-triangle quads. Generally, Face Mapping is an excellent way to
achieve patterned surfaces, but your control of the pattern is mostly
dependant on the structure of the mesh object. (In other words, you
don't really have much control, but you can get some cool effects,
and it's easy to apply.)
Lofted mapping lets you apply mapping based on the length and
perimeter of the lofted object. Thus, it lets you control the mapping
on objects that would otherwise be impossible to correctly map using
the tools in the 3D Editor. The tutorial example of mapping a helix
is typical. You could not properly map a helix using planar,
cylindrical, or spherical mapping.
Since mapping coordinates can be applied no lower than at the element
level (you can't apply different mapping coords. at the face level),
if you want to apply different mapping coordinates to various faces
in an object, you first detach the faces, making them an independant
mesh (they no longer share vertices with the rest of the object). You
can then reattach the faces to the object so that they're an element
of the object, and then you can apply different mapping coordinates
at the element level. Of all the mapping processes I've mentioned,
this requires the most work — but yields the best results.
I just wanted to reinforce what Jack said. If you want to be any good
at all with 3DS, you should do ALL the tutorials. In fact, there is
so much to absorb that I did them once then went back and did them
all again. You mentioned you were reading the manuals – great!, but
read them at the computer and try things as you go, STARTING with the
tutorials. All your questions will be answered this way.
On the gripping hand, if you can be satisfied with wasting a lot of
time and being a mediocre animator, don't bother. <g>
BTW, listen to Jack – he literally "wrote the book" on 3DS!
>but read them at the computer and try things as you go, STARTING
with the
tutorials. All your questions will be answered this way.
Hi, I was actually doing that, but I has some other questions that I
explained very
poorly. (that will teach me to ask questions first thing in the
morning)
thanks again, Kim
I understand completely – I HATE mornings. My brain doesn't seem to
start until sometime after 11am!
I'm glad you're doing it right – you'd be surprised at the number of
people who seem to pride themselves on how little they open a
software manual. Ack! This may work fine for MS Office and
Photoshop, but it's sheer idiocy for a 3DS'er. Tutorials,
experimentation, and patience – ah, that's the ticket.
All this materials and mapping stuff can be confusing. As Jack said,
don't confuse materials and mapping coordinates. If still confused,
please rephrase and ask again. 🙂
JKJ
>> On the gripping hand…
Uh Ohhh….Moties in Oak Ridge!
Using 3ds, no less.
JB