3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [285]
Using a background image
To select a background image to be used as an environment map, click the Environment Map button in the Environment panel to open the Material/Map browser. If you want to load a bitmap image as the background image, double-click the Bitmap selection to open the Select Bitmap Image dialog box. Locate the bitmap to use, and click OK. The bitmap name appears on the Environment Map button.
Tip
If the environment map that you want to use is already displayed in one of the Material Editor sample slots, you can drag it directly from the Material Editor and drop it on the Map button in the Environment panel. •
To change any of the environment map parameters (such as the mapping coordinates), you need to load the environment map into the Material Editor. You can do so by dragging the map button from the Environment panel onto one of the sample slots in the Material Editor. After releasing the material, the Instance (Copy) Map dialog box asks whether you want to create an Instance or a Copy. If you select Instance, any parameter changes that you make to the material automatically update the map in the Environment panel.
Once in the Material Editor, you can use the Environment Map to create a Spherical Environment map that is used to reflect off objects in the scene.
Cross-Reference
For more information about the types of available mapping parameters, see Chapter 17, “Adding Material Details with Maps.” •
The background image doesn't need to be an image: You can also load animations. Supported formats include AVI, MPEG, MOV, and IFL files.
Figure 23.15 shows a scene with an image of the Golden Gate Bridge loaded as the environment map. Viewpoint Datalabs created the airplane model.
Setting global lighting
The Tint color swatch in the Global Lighting section of the Environment panel specifies a color used to tint all lights. The Level value increases or decreases the overall lighting level for all lights in the scene. The Ambient color swatch sets the color for the ambient light in the scene, which is the darkest color that any shadows in the scene can be. You can animate all these settings.
FIGURE 23.15
The results of a background image loaded into the Environment panel
Summary
This chapter covered the basics of producing output using the Render Scene dialog box. Although rendering a scene can take a long time to complete, Max includes many settings that can speed up the process and helpful tools such as the Rendered Frame Window and the RAM Player.
In this chapter, you accomplished the following:
• Discovering how to control the various render parameters
• Configuring the global rendering preferences
• Switching to a different renderer
• Learning about the command-line rendering interface
• Using the Rendered Frame Window and the RAM Player
• Understanding the different render types
• Exploring the Panoramic Exporter and Print Size Wizard tools
• Using the Environment panel to change the background color and image
The next chapter covers the ability to render the scene to one of the stylized options that Nitrous makes available such as Ink, Charcoal, or Acrylic.
Chapter 24: Rendering Non-Photorealistic Effects
IN THIS CHAPTER
Displaying stylized scenes in the viewport
Rendering non-photorealistic scenes
For many years, the goal of 3D graphics has been to make scenes as realistic as possible, but other types of art emphasize style over realism. These stylistic approaches give us the cubes of Picasso, the points of Seurat, and the surreal landscapes of Dali. Although no software title has a button to magically turn your scene into a classic piece of art, the new Nitrous display drivers found in Max allow you to display your scene as if it were drawn using acrylic, ink, or pastels.
Viewing Stylized Scenes
Stylized non-photorealistic