User Manual

Flip U/V/W
Mirrors the texture coordinates around the applicable axis.
Flip Faces (Cube Map Mode Only)
Mirrors the texture coordinates on the individual faces of the cube.
NOTE: To utilize the full capabilities of the UV Map 3D node, it helps to have a basic
understanding of how 2D images are mapped onto 3D geometry. When a 2D image is
applied to a 3D surface, it is converted into a texture map that uses UV coordinates to
determine how the image translates to the object. Each vertex on a mesh has a (U, V)
texture coordinate pair that describes the appearance the object takes when it is
unwrapped and flattened. Different mapping modes use different methods for working
out how the vertices transform into a flat 2D texture. When using the UV Map 3D node
to modify the texture coordinates on a mesh, it’s best to do so using the default
coordinate system of the mesh or primitive. So the typical workflow would look like
Shape 3D > UV Map 3D > Transform 3D. The Transformation tab on the Shape node
would be left to its default values, and the Transform 3D node following the UV Map
3D does any adjustments needed to place the node in the scene. Modifying/animating
the transform of the Shape node causes the texture to slide across the shape, which is
generally undesirable. The UV Map 3D node modifies texture coordinates per vertex
and not per pixel. If the geometry the UV map is applied to is poorly tessellated, then
undesirable artifacts may appear.
Common Controls
Settings Tab
The Settings tab in the Inspector is duplicated in other 3D nodes. These common controls are
described in detail at the end of this chapter in “The Common Controls” section.
Weld 3D [3WE]
The Weld3D node
Weld 3D Node Introduction
Sometimes 3D geometry has vertices that should have been joined when the geometry was
created, but for one reason or another they are not joined. This can cause artifacts, especially
when the two vertices have different normals.
For example, you may find:
 The different normals produce hard shading/lighting edges where none were intended.
 If you try to Displace 3D the vertices along their normals, they crack.
 Missing pixels or doubled-up pixels in the rendered image.
 Particles pass through the tiny invisible cracks.
Chapter – 80 3D Nodes 1738