8

1062 Glossary
once around the sphere, and then gathered at the
top and bottom. Shrink-wrap mapping is also
spherical, but truncates the corners of the map
and joins them all at a single pole, creating only
one singularity.
3dsMaxprovidesanumberofwaystoapply
mapping coordinates:
• Use the Generate Mapping Coords option in
the creation parameters rollout of any standard
primitive. This option, which is on by default
for most objects, provides mapping coordinates
specifically designed for each primitive. They
require additional memory, so tur n the option
off if you don’t need them.
•Applya
UVW Map modifier (page 1–905) .
You choose from several types of mapping
coordinate systems and customize the
placement of the mapping coordinates on
the object by positioning a mapping icon. In
addition, you can animate the transformations
of the mapping coordinates.
• Use special m apping coordinate controls for
special objects. For example, Loft objects
provide built-in mapping options that let you
apply mapping coordinates along their length
andaroundtheirperimeter.
• Apply a Surface Mapper modifier . This
world-space mo difier takes a map assig ned to
a
NURBS (page 1–1079) surface and projects
it onto the modified object or objects. Surface
Mapper is especially usef ul for seamlessly
applying a single map to a group of surface
sub-objects w ith in the same NURBS model.
You can also use it for other kinds of geometry.
There are three cases where you don’t need
mapping coordinates:
• Reflection/refraction maps and environment
maps
These use an environmental mapping system,
in which the placement of the map is based
ontherenderedview,andfixedtotheworld
coordinates in the scene.
• 3D procedural maps (such as Noise or Marble)
These are procedurally generated, based on the
local axis o f the object.
• Face-mapped materials
The maps are placed based on the facets in the
geometry.
Maps
Front left sphere: Marble bitmap
Front right sphere: Clouds b itmap
Back left sphere: Noise procedural map
Back right sphere: Marble procedural map
The images you assign to materials are called
maps. The software provides several different map
types. They include standard bitmaps (such as
.bmp , .jpg ,or .tga files), procedural maps, such as
Checker or Marble, and image-processing systems
such as compositors and masking systems.
You can assign maps to most of the components
that make up a material. Materials that contain
one or more images are called mapped materials.
By assigning maps to different attributes of the
materials, you can affect the color, the opacity, the
smoothness of the surface, and much more.