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Reflection Mapping 1349
Reflection Mapping
Material Editor > Sta ndard material > Maps rollout >
Reflection button
Reflection created by mapping
Yo u c a n s e l e c t a b i t m a p f i l e o r procedural map
(page 3–1091)
to use as a reflection map.
You can create three kinds of reflection: basic
reflection maps, automatic reflection maps, and
flat-mirror (page 3–1036) reflection maps.
• A basic reflect ion map creates the il lusion of
chrome, glass, or metal by apply ing a map to
thegeometrysothattheimagelookslikea
reflection on the surface.
• An automatic reflection map uses no mapping
at all, but looks outward from the center of the
object, and maps what it sees onto the surface.
Another way to generate reflections
automatically is to assign a
Raytrace map (page
2–1508)
to be the reflection map.
• A flat-mirror r eflection map is applied to a
series of coplanar faces and reflects objects
facing it, exactly like a real m irror.
Reflection maps don’t need
mapping
coordinates (page 3–1061)
because they’re
locked to the world, not to the geometry. The
illusion of a reflection is created because the
map doesn’t move w ith the object, but with
changesintheview,asdorealreflections.
The most common use of reflection maps in a
realistic scene is to add just a touch of reflection to
anotherwisenon-reflectivesurface.Bydefault,
reflection map strength is 100 percent, as it is for
othermaps.Formanykindsofsurfaces,however,
reducing the strength gives the most realistic
result. A polished table top, for example, primarily
shows a wood grain; the reflections are secondary.
Reflection maps look more realistic if you increase
theGlossinessandSpecularLevelvaluesinthe
Basic Parameters rollout (page 2–1311) .Theyare
also affected by the
diffuse (page 3–1023) and
ambient (page 3–1002) color values. The darker
the color , the stronger the mirror effect.
Even when the Amount spinner is at 100, the
reflection map is tinted by the ambient, diffuse,
and
specular (page 3–1108) colors.
In metal materials, the Diffuse color tints the
reflection map. Specifically, the color from the
reflect ion map is multiplied by the diffuse color
(including a diffuse map, if one exists). The va lue
(in the
HSV (page 3–1095) description) of the
diffusecolorcontrolsthereflectionmapintensity.
If the diffuse color va lue is 255, the reflection is at
full intensity; if the value is 0, the map is not visible.
In non-metal materials, the Specular color
multiplies only reflection maps. The value (in the
HSV (page 3–1095) description) of the specular
color affects the reflection intensity. If the specular
color value is 255, the reflection is at full intensity;
if the value is 0, the map is n ot visible.
Procedures
To create an automatic reflection:
1.
IntheMapsrollout,clicktheMapbutton
labeled Reflection.