About Material Textures

Some materials have specific texture parameters, namely the texture mapping.

It defines the way a texture is projected onto a surface. In the Appearance Domain dialog box, you can choose a mapping type in the Material application mapping area.

The following mapping types are available. They are used in real-time display only.

Mapping Type	Description
Planar	For planar geometries, such as a slide projector, or for textures with two privileged directions (chessboard or a wall of bricks).
Spherical	For spherical geometries, such as a painted light bulb or a ball, or for textures with no privileged direction (stones or raw metal).
Finite Cylindrical	For cylindrical geometries such as a can of food or a bottle, or for textures having a privileged direction such as shiny metal or marble. The projection is applied to top and bottom faces as well.
Infinite Cylindrical	Same geometries as for Cylindrical Mapping. The projection is considered infinite and therefore is not applied to top and bottom faces.
Cubical	For cubical geometries, such as boxes. Also called “Tri-Planar”. It is very well adapted to any kind of shape if the applied texture represents a small pattern.
Geometry UV	Complex-shaped texture with bent area (labels or seats). Note: This mapping projector is available only if the geometry is UV. UV appears after you import a 3D geometry or you use the UV Parameterization command.

You can define the image repetition along U and V, its scale, position, and orientation.

U and V refer to the local parametric surface.

The following mapping parameters are available according to the selected material in the list:

Parameter	Description
DPI (svg file)	Specifies the image definition of your svg files.
Mapping behavior	The mapping algorithm can focus on the texture consistency, or on the surface consistency.
Offset U, V	Translates the texture along the U and V axes.
Scale U, V	Defines how the texture is stretched along the U and V axes.
Angle	Defines the angle of the texture on surfaces.
Repeat U, V	Specifies whether or not you want the texture to repeat indefinitely along the U and V axes.
Flip U, V	Inverts the texture along the U and V axes.
Orientation	Defines the rotation of the texture on surfaces.
Position U, V	Defines the position of the texture along the U and V axes. By default, the image is centered.

In the Material application mapping area, Reset to appearance reference lets you restore the parameters defined for the material appearance.

The mapping focus helps you use the texture coordinates of a 3D geometry.

This parameter is only available for physical and specular/glossiness complex materials.

Two options are available:

Option	Description
Texture	The mapping algorithm focuses on the texture consistency. The texture keeps its dimensions on any surface.
Surface	The mapping algorithm focuses on the surface consistency. The texture adapts its dimensions to the surface. For better results, select the Geometry UV mapping type.

Bump mapping is a lighting surface effect, based on a texture, that locally modifies the geometric aspect of the object by means of an artificial perturbation of the surface normals.

These normals are vectors perpendicular to the surface defining the orientation of the surface. Bump mapping does not modify the geometry but the visual aspect of the object.

Bump mapping cannot be visualized in real-time display or with a basic graphic card. It is only used in software rendering.

If your hardware configuration supports it, the CgFX technology lets you visualize a material with both a texture and a bump effect.

Below are two pictures showing a material modified with a texture and rendered with a basic graphic card and a graphic card that supports CgFx technology.

On the left, CgFX technology is not used and no bumps appear whereas on the right, CgFX technology is activated and bumps appear:

Render with a basic graphic card	Render with a graphic card supporting CgFx technology