8

Color Selector Dialog 157
Col or S elector Dia log
Any command panel > Name and Color fields > Click
color swatch. > Object Color dialog > Add Custom Colors
button or Current Color swatch.
Material Ed ito r > Click any color swatch.
Create panel or Modify panel > Create or select light
object. > G e neral Parameters rollout > Click light color
swatch.
Rendering menu > Environment > Environment and
Effects dialog > Click color swatch for Backgrou n d, Tint,
and Ambient components of G lobal Lighting, and various
components of atmospheric effects such as Fire, Fog, and
so on.
You use the Color Selector whenever you specify a
custom color parameter in 3ds Max. You can work
simultaneously with three different color mo dels
tohelpyouzeroinontheexactcoloryouwant.
The Color Selector is used to specify many color
parameters, such as light colors, material colors,
background colors, and custom object colors.
(Another way to choose an object’s viewport color
is to use the predefined colors in the
Object Color
dialog (page 1–155)
.)
In most contexts, the Color Selector is
modeless
(page 3–1067)
; that is, it remains on the screen
until you dismiss it, and you can use other 3ds Max
controls or work in a viewport while the dialog is
stil l visible. In other contexts, the Color Selector
is modal, and you must click OK or Cancel before
proceeding.
Thedialogisdividedintothreedifferentcolor
select ion models. You c an use the controls for any
modeltodefineacolor. Thethreecolormodels
are:
• Hue/Blackness/Whiteness (HBW)
The most prominently dis played and intuitive
color model is the HBW model. This model
represents a natural, pigment-based way of
mixing color by starting with a pure color (hue)
and then making it darker by adding black, or
lighter by adding white.
The main feature of the HBW model i s a large
square box displaying the color spectr um.
Across the top of this bo x you have the spectrum
of pure colors, or hue. Down the side of the box
you see increasing levels of blackness, making
the color dark as you approach the b ottom.
To the right of the color spectrum box is the
Whiteness box, which controls the amount
of white in the color. Use higher positions to
decrease the whiteness, or lower positions to
increase the whiteness.
• Red/Blue/Green (RGB)
The RGB model adjusts the mix of Red,
Green,andBluetodefineacolor.Thismodel
represents the way colore d light can b e mixed.
This is additive color mixing, as opposed to the
subtractive color mixing for paint and other
pigments. You can adjust values using the color
sliders, the numeric fields to their right (via the
keyboard), or the spinners to the ri ght of the
numeric fields.
• Hue/Saturation/Value (HSV)
The HSV color model adjusts Hue, Saturation,
and Value. Hue sets the color; Saturation
(labeled "Sat") sets the color’s pur ity; and Value
sets the color’s brightness, or intensity. You
can adjust values using the color sliders, the
numeric fields to their right (via the keyboard),
or the spinners to the right of the numeric f ields.
As you adjust the controls of one color model, the
controls of the other two models change to m atch.
The color defined by the color model is displayed
in the right half of the Color Output box. The
original color, b efore you began m aking changes,
is displayed in the left half.