User Manual

The controls in the Materials tab are used to determine the appearance of the 3D object
when lit. Most of these controls directly affect how the object interacts with light using a basic
shader. For more advanced control over the objects appearance, you can use tools from the 3D
Materials category of the Effects Library. These tools can be used to assemble a more finely
detailed and precise shader.
When a shader is constructed using the 3D Material tools and connected to the 3D Object’s
material input, the controls in this tab are replaced by a label that indicates that an external
material is currently in use.
Diuse
Diffuse describes the base surface characteristics without any additional effects like reflections
or specular highlights.
Diffuse Color
The Diffuse Color determines the basic color of an object when the surface of that object is
either lit indirectly or lit by an ambient light. If a valid image is provided to the tools diffuse
texture input, then the RGB values provided here are also multiplied by the color values of the
pixels in the diffuse texture. The Alpha channel of the diffuse material can be used to control
the transparency of the surface.
Alpha
This slider sets the material’s Alpha channel value. This affects diffuse and specular colors
equally, and affects the Alpha value of the material in the rendered output. If the tools diffuse
texture input is used, then the Alpha value provided here is multiplied by the Alpha channel of
the pixels in the image.
Opacity
Reducing the material’s Opacity decreases the color and Alpha values of the specular and
diffuse colors equally, making the material transparent and allowing hidden objects to be seen
through the material.
Specular
The Specular section provides controls for determining the characteristics of light that reflects
toward the viewer. These controls affect the appearance of the specular highlight that appears
on the surface of the object.
Specular Color
Specular Color determines the color of light that reflects from a shiny surface. The more
specular a material is, the glossier it appears. Surfaces like plastics and glass tend to have white
specular highlights, whereas metallic surfaces like gold have specular highlights that tend to
inherit their color from the material color. The basic shader material does not provide an input
for textures to control the specularity of the object. Use tools from the 3D Material category
when more precise control is required over the specular appearance.
Specular Intensity
Specular Intensity controls how strong the specular highlight is. If the specular intensity texture
input has a valid connection, then this value is multiplied by the Alpha value of the input.
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