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Surface Properties rollout. You can also assign vertex colors using the Assign Vertex Colors utility. Use this utility to assign color to the current object or to assign material colors to the object's vertices using the given lights. A third way to assign vertex colors is with the Vertex Paint modifier, which you access using the Modifiers⇒Mesh Editing⇒Vertex Paint menu command. This modifier lets you color vertices by painting directly on an object.

Cross-Reference

For more detail on the Vertex Paint modifier, see Chapter 18, “Creating Compound Materials and Using Material Modifiers.” •

After vertex colors are assigned, you need to apply the Vertex Color map to the diffuse color in the Material Editor and apply it to the object for the object to render the vertex colors. This map doesn't have any settings.

Miscellaneous maps

These maps are actually grouped into a category called Other, but they mostly deal with reflection and refraction effects. Maps in this category include Camera Map Per Pixel, Flat Mirror, Normal Bump, Raytrace, Reflect/Refract, and Thin Wall Refraction.

Camera Map Per Pixel map

The Camera Map Per Pixel map lets you project a map from the location of a camera. You use this map by rendering the scene, editing the rendered image in an image-editing program, and projecting the image back onto the scene.

The Camera Map Parameters rollout includes buttons that let you select the Camera, Texture, ZBuffer Mask, and Mask.

Flat Mirror map

The Flat Mirror map reflects the surroundings using a coplanar group of faces. In the Flat Mirror Parameters rollout, you can select a Blur amount to apply. You can specify whether to Render the First Frame Only or Every Nth Frame. You also have an option to Use the Environment Map or to apply to Faces with a given ID.

Note

Flat Mirror maps are applied only to selected coplanar faces using the material ID. •

The Distortion options include None, Use Bump Map, and Use Built-In Noise. If the Bump Map option is selected, you can define a Distortion Amount. If the Noise option is selected, you can choose Regular, Fractal, or Turbulence noise types with Phase, Size, and Levels values.

Tutorial: Creating a mirrored surface

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the best modeler of them all? Using the Flat Mirror map, you can create, believe it or not, mirrors. To create and configure a flat mirror map, follow these steps:

1. Open the Reflection in mirror.max file from the Chap 17 directory on the CD.

This file includes a mesh of a man standing in front of a mirror. The mirror subobject faces have been selected and applied a material ID of 1.

2. Choose Rendering⇒Material Editor⇒Slate Material Editor (or press the M key) to open the Material Editor.

3. Locate and double-click the Flat Mirror option in the Material/Map Browser to add a node to the Node View. Drag a connection wire from the output socket, drop it anywhere on the Node View, and then select the Materials/Standard material from the pop-up menu and the Reflection channel from the parameters pop-up menu. This adds a standard material node to the Node View and connects the Flat Mirror node to the material's Reflection parameter.

Note

If the Flat Mirror map isn't available, select the Map radio button in the Show section. •

4. Double-click the Flat Mirror node to make its parameters appear in the Parameter Editor. In the Flat Mirror Parameters rollout, deselect the Apply Blur and Use Environment Map options and select the Apply to Faces with ID option. Then set the ID value to 1.

5. Drag the material node's output socket to the mirror object in the viewport to apply the material to the mirror.

Figure 17.33 shows a model being reflected off a simple patch object with a Flat Mirror map applied to it. The reflection is visible only in the final rendered image.

FIGURE 17.33

A Flat Mirror map causes the object to reflect its surroundings.

Normal Bump map

The Normal Bump map lets you alter the appearance of the details on the surface using a Normal map. Normal maps can be created using the