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Reflect/Refract Map 1511
folder and file name of the Up (_UP) bitmaps.
Click Pick Object and Render Maps, and then click
the object to map. T he software creates the files
and als o assigns them to the six From File map
buttons.
Rendering cubic maps has the same effect as
automatic with the advantage that map rendering
doesn’t have to take place at scene rendering
time. The disadvantage is that you can’t create an
automatically animated reflections or refractions
this way.
Using Animated Cubic M aps
The cubic maps can b e animations instead of
bitmaps. Be sure that each is square and all have
the same resolution. If you want the animated
reflections to match animated changes in the
scene, use automatic maps and set them to render
every Nth fra me.
Procedure
To generate and save cubic maps:
1.
IntheSourcegroup,chooseFromFile.
2. In the Render Cubic Map Files group, click the
button next to To File.
A file dialog is displayed. Type a name for one
of the six cubic bitmap files. You’re specifying
thenameoftheUpbitmap.Therearetwoways
to do this:
• Specifytheentirefilename;forexample,
myview_up.bmp.
• Specifythefileprefixandextensiononly;for
example,
myview.bmp.
Impor tant: Youmustspecifyatleastaprefixand
extension. The "_UP" is added automatically.
3.
Click Pick Object and Render Maps.
4. Click an object in your scene where you want
the six views rendered. This is usually the same
object where you will apply the material, but it
doesn’t have to be.
After selecting the object, a rendered frame
window is displayed while the six views are
rendered and saved to disk. Their file names
then appear in the six buttons in the From File
group. Each of the six file names is identical,
except for a two-letter suffix i ndicating the
direction of the rendered view.
Interfa ce
Sour ce—Choosesthesourceofthesixcubicmaps.
Automatic—Automatically generates by looking
out in six directions from the pivot of the object
w ith the material, then mapped onto the surface
during rendering. When on, the options in the
Automatic group are active, letting you choose
whether the maps will be generated only once, or
regenerated at specified fr ames in the animation.