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Enhance:AM Water Series AM_Rain Texture |
| Rain makes a surface look like that of a puddle being rained upon. The texture allows the defining of a range of drop parameters (wavelength, amplitude, radius, and number of ripples). Rain occurs in a repeatable cycle. You pick the number of drops in the cycle, and how long (as a fraction of the cycle length) each drop stays around. |
| Function Parameters | |
| Wavelength Min/Max | These parameters determine the start and end wavelengths. The wavelength controls the distance between the peaks of the ripples. As the texture is animated the ripple will start from the minimum wave, when time is 0%, and finish at the maximum wave when time is 100 %. |
| Radius Min/Max | These parameters determine the start and end radii. The radius controls the distance from the center to the outer ripple. As the texture is animated the ripple will start from the minimum radius, when time is 0%, and finish at the maximum radius when time is 100 %. |
| Ripples Min/Max | These parameters determine the start and end number of ripples. As the texture is animated the number of ripples will start from the minimum ripple, when time is 0%, and finish with the number of ripples set by maximum ripple when time is 100 %. |
| Life Min/Max | These parameters determine the start and end life of the rain drops. The smaller the values the short the time the drops take to disperse. |
| Number Of Drops | This parameter controls the number of rain drops falling. The higher this value the heavier the rain, however, the more drops the slower the rain will take to render. |
| Spread | This parameter controls the span over which the drops fall. The larger this value the wider the area over which the rain falls. |
| Random Seed | This parameter sets the seed for the rain fall. By changing this value different rain fall patterns can be created. |
| Drip Drop Time | This parameter controls the time through the animation of the drop. In order to create one full cycle of animation an action must be set up that changes this parameter from 0 to 100 (i.e. one full cycle). |
| Wave Type |
This control allows one of seven different function wave types to be used. By passing the
texture function through a waveform generator different shader patterns can be created.
These are shown below: |
| Axis Parameters | |
| Scale | These three parameters control the size of the texture in the X, Y and Z direction respectively. The textures are applied to an object based on a texture axes where the size of the axes controls the size of the texture. These parameters therefore control the scale of the texture axes and therefore the size of the texture. |
| Center | These three parameters control the center of the texture with respect to an object's center point. The textures are applied to an object based on a texture axis the center of the texture axis is by default at the center point for the object. The center texture axis can be moved away from the center point by adjusting these parameters. These three parameters control the translation of the center of the texture in the X, Y and Z axis respectively. |
| Rotate | These three parameters control the orientation of the texture with respect to the object. The textures are applied to an object based on a texture axis that is by default lined up to the X, Y and Z axis of the object. The texture can then be rotated with respect to the object about the texture axes center using these three parameters. |
| Axis | This parameter sets the direction along which, or around which, the texture pattern will be applied. |
| Color Map | |
| Colors 1 to 6 |
These six colors set the six colors that are interpolated between by the texture function. The texture function is a value that varies between
0.0 and 1.0. The way this varies is specific for each texture type and defines the texture's pattern. This value is used to map to these colors
based on the six blend points (Blends 1 to 6). For example, if you set Color1 to red and Color2 to green with Blend1 at 0.0 and Blend2 to 100.00
you are saying, start with red at the beginning of the texture function and blend to green by the end. For information about Color Maps
 .
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| Colors Enable 1 to 6 | Each color may be disabled by turning OFF its respective Color Enable switch. When this is done the current object's color will be used instead. |
| Opacity | This parameter controls the opacity of the applied color. This allows control over how the texture affects the current color of the object. This means that part of the current texture can be made clear (allowing the object's current color to show through) or opaque (totally obscuring the object's current color). Any amount of opacity can be derived between these two extremes. The opacity parameter allows the minimum opacity to be set. Control over the layering is provided using the alpha values in conjunction with the blend points (The Do Layering switch must be ON). |
| Do Layering | This switch controls whether the colors are layered based on the current alpha map settings. By switching it ON and setting the appropriate alpha values parts of the color map can be made transparent so that the underlying color is exposed. |
| Do Blending | This switch controls the blending of the color and alpha maps. If it is switched ON then blending will occur. If it is switched OFF then no blending will occur causing discrete, stepped transitions. NOTE When blending is disabled the value of Blend 1 must be greater than 0% for Color 1 to be applied. |
| Force Attributes | This switch controls how the layering of the textures affects the transparency, reflectivity, etc. With this option ON any transparency, reflectivity, etc are forced irrespective of the current texture attributes. This does mean however that you cannot make a transparent area opaque or a reflective area non-reflective. By switching this option OFF attributes can be layered. NOTE In order for this to work the base affect must first be set. So, to properly control the transparency the base transparency must first be set (This must be done using another Enhance:AM texture). |
| Blends | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blends 1 to 6 |
These six parameters define the six blend points that are used to control the interpolation of the colors
and alpha values across the texture function. The blend points work in the following manner:
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| Alpha Map | |
| Alpha 1 to 6 |
These six parameters define the six alpha values for the texture. In the same way as the colors are interpolated so are the
alpha values (again using the blend points Blends 1 to 6 as shown in the table above). These alpha values form an alpha map
that can then be used to affect or control the layering, the Transparency and its associated settings, the Specularity and
its associated settings, the Reflectivity, the Reflectivity Falloff, the Diffusion Falloff, the Ambience, the Roughness,
the Roughness Scale and the Radiance. For information about Alpha Maps .
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| Affect Others | |
| Diffuse Falloff |
The alpha map, created by the alpha values, the blend points and the texture function can
control the Diffuse Falloff on the object. This parameter controls the maximum possible
Diffuse Falloff. This means that the range will be between 0% and the Diffuse Falloff setting
modulated by the Alpha Map. A switch is provided that determines whether the alpha map is
used to affect the Diffuse Falloff. For information about Alpha Maps
.
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| Ambience | As with the Diffuse Falloff the Ambience of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Reflectivity | As with the Diffuse Falloff the Reflectivity of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Reflectivity Falloff | As with the Diffuse Falloff the Reflectivity Falloff of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Roughness | As with the Diffuse Falloff the Roughness of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Roughness Scale | As with the Diffuse Falloff the Roughness Scale of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Radiance | As with the Diffuse Falloff the Radiance of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Affect Specularity | |
| Specular Color | This is the color will be used for the specular color unless the Use Derived Color is switched ON. |
| Affect Specular Color | When this switch is ON the color of the specular highlight will be affected by the texture assuming an alpha map has been set up. |
| Use Derived Color | If the Use Derived Color is OFF then the preset Specular Color, as above, is used otherwise if it is ON then the color result from the actual texture is used. |
| Specular Size |
The alpha map, created by the alpha values, the blend points and the texture function can
control the Specular Size on the object. This parameter controls the maximum possible
Specular Size. This means that the range will be between 0% and the Specular Size setting
modulated by the Alpha Map. A switch is provided which determines whether the alpha map is
used to affect the Specular Intensity. For information about Alpha Maps
.
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| Specular Intensity | As with the Specular Size the Specular Intensity of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Affect Transparency | |
| Transparency |
The alpha map, created by the alpha values, the blend points and the texture function can
control the transparency of the object. This parameter controls the maximum possible
transparency. This means that the range will be between 0% and the transparency setting
modulated by the Alpha Map. A switch is provided which determines whether the alpha map is
used to affect the transparency. For information about Alpha Maps
.
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| Density | As with the Transparency the Density of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Refraction | As with the Transparency the Refraction of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Translucency | As with the Transparency the Translucency of the object can be controlled by the current alpha map. |
| Bump | |
| Bump Height | This parameter determines the height of the bumps when positive or the depth of the pits when negative. |
| Bottom Clip | This parameter sets the clipping depth of the bumps. When the bumps are positive then this value sets the depth at which they are clipped. If the bumps are negative, i.e. pits, then this parameter sets the height at which the peaks are clipped. |
| Top Clip | This parameter sets the clipping height of the bumps. When the bumps are positive then this value sets the height at which they are clipped. If the bumps are negative, i.e. pits, then this parameter sets the depth at which the valleys are clipped. |
| Noise Parameters | |
| Noise Controls |
for information about all the Noise controls.
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