| Basic | Maps | Advanced | Surface Map Settings
RenderMap allows you to "bake" a variety of object attributes into different maps. These maps can all be stored as external image files (RenderMap), while many of them can also be stored in Color at Vertices (CAV) properties (RenderVertex).
For more information, see Baking Surface Attribute Maps [Texturing].
To apply: Select an object and choose Get Property RenderMap from any toolbar.
To redisplay: In an explorer, expand the object and click the RenderMap icon.
X/Y Res |
Specifies the resolution of the RenderMap images in X and Y. to generate non-square images, make sure that the Square option is deactivated. |
Square |
When enabled, each RenderMap image's Y resolution is automatically set to the same value as its X resolution, producing a square image. |
Super Sampling |
Defines the number of samples taken for each pixel. For sampling purposes, the pixel is divided into a grid whose size is determined by the super sampling value. For example, if the value is set to 3, the pixel is divided into a 3x3 grid, and 9 samples are taken and averaged. |
UV |
Specifies the UV coordinate set for which the RenderMap is created. See See Specifying a Texture Projection [Texturing]. |
If you rendermap an object using a spatial texture projection, the output images will look as though they were generated using a planar projection.
To correctly bake a spatial projection's surface attributes into a rendermap, apply an appropriate projection to the object (UV for example). The texture will still be projected by the spatial projection, but the RenderMap will sample the object using the UV projection.
Enable |
Deactivate this option when you do not wish to generate a surface color map, but do wish to generate other types of maps, such as those found on the Maps tab. |
Path (RenderMap only) |
The destination file name and path for RenderMap. If Usr is on, the path is displayed as you entered it. If Res is on, the resolved path is displayed. You can also click the browse (...) button to open a browser and navigate to the destination location. |
Format (RenderMap only) |
Sets the file format of the rendermap image. This also determines the file-name extension. Available file formats are: |
Width (RenderMap only) |
Specifies the output image's bit depth. The options in this list vary depending on the specified Image Format. Some formats support only 8-bit, others support 8-bit and 16-bit, and still others support 8-bit, 16-bit and Float. One notable exception is the OpenEXR format, which supports "half" (16-bit float), and float. |
CAV (RenderVertex Only) |
Defines the color at vertices map to which the RenderVertex is written. See Specifying Parameter Maps or Vertex Colors in Property Editors [Scene Elements]. |
Map |
Specifies the attributes that RenderMap or RenderVertex should render when the surface color maps are generated.
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Consider Bump |
When activated, bump mapping is included in the surface color map. This option is useful for deactivating bump in order to not include it in the surface color map, although this is not possible for all map types. |
Coverage in Alpha Channel (RenderMap Only) |
When activated, the RenderMap's texel coverage is written to the alpha channel of the output Surface Color map. |
Overwrite CAV alpha channel (RenderVertex only) |
When activated, regenerating the RenderVertex maps overwrites the alpha channel of the CAV property in which the Surface Color map is stored. When deactivated, only the RGB channels are overwritten. |
Disable Surface Properties (If Present)
The Disable Surface Properties options control whether shadows, refractions and/or reflections, as well as the ambient, diffuse and/or specular lighting components on the rendermapped object appear in the output image. When any of these boxes is checked, the corresponding attribute does not appear.
Properties that are view-dependent, including specular highlights, reflections, refractions, and so on, are probably not a good idea to rendermap because they get "baked in" and don't change from different viewpoints. The exception is when they're intended to be seen from a certain viewpoint only.
Of course these surface attributes can only be toggled provided they are active to begin with. For example, if the object is Blinn shaded, but the Blinn shader's specular component is deactivated, toggling the specular component in the RenderMap property editor has no effect.
The options on this tab allow you to generate a number of different maps based on attributes other than surface color or illumination. Controls for each map are hidden until you activate the map.
All of the maps on this tab use the resolution and UV coordinate settings defined on the Basic tab.
When you enable a map type, additional controls appear. All map types have the options in the following table for specifying image format. Some map types have additional options as described in the subsections below.
Enable |
Activates the corresponding map. The map is now generated, along with any other active maps, when you click the Regenerate Maps button on any tab. |
Destination |
Specifies the destination for the map.
If Usr is on, the path is relative to the active project directory. If Res is on, the path is absolute. You can type a different path or use the Browse (...) button to change locations. Valid paths are displayed in white, invalid paths are red, and read-only paths are gray.
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Format |
Sets the file format of the image file containing the map. This also determines the file-name extension. Available file formats are: |
Width |
Specifies the map's bit depth. The options in this list vary depending on the specified Format. Some formats support only 8-bit, while others support various combinations of 8-bit, 16-bit, Float, and Half float. |
Texel Coverage (RenderMap Only)
Texel coverage maps indicate what fraction of the output image texel is located on the surface: black being no coverage and white being 100% covered. Practically speaking, these options generate an alpha channel and/or external matte for the output image.
Activating the normal map allows you to burn the rendermapped object's normals into a file or Color At Vertices property.
The data is stored in the file in a biased form: the x, y and z of the normal are stored as (x+1)/2, (y+1)/2, (z+1)/2, so that they are always in the range 0 to 1. To get the unbiased, original normal value, use r*2-1, g*2-1, b*2-1.
Space |
Normal vectors can be encoded in one of three spaces:
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Type |
You can create the normal map using any of the following types of normal:
In cases where the ray-casting "catches" another surface (for example, if the Ignore RenderMapped Objects parameter, on the Advanced tab, is activated) you will get the normals of the other surface. If there is no bump mapping, and the original surface is "caught", the sampled normal will match the interpolated normal.
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This map allows you to burn the U and V basis vectors. These vectors, along with the interpolated normal, define a coordinate frame on the surface of the object. Conceptually, the U and V bases are supposed to be tangent to the surface, while the interpolated normal is perpendicular to the surface. This coordinate frame is useful for relative normal computations for bump mapping in games.
The tangent and binormal (U and V basis, respectively), are computed using a texture projection, specified on the Advanced tab (UV Basis > Texture projection). You can burn a map for either vector individually, or for both of the vectors at the same time.
As with the normals, the U and V bases are stored in a biased form: the x, y and z of the vectors are stored as (x+1)/2, (y+1)/2, (z+1)/2, so that they are always in the range 0 to 1. To get the unbiased, original vector value, use r*2-1, g*2-1, b*2-1. When generating CAVs with RenderVertex, you can change the bit depth to convert the stored tangents and binormals to unbiased form as described in Setting the Data Type for Tangents and Binormals [Texturing].
Surface Position (RenderMap Only)
The surface position map burns the sampled position of the surface into the map. It stores the raw (x, y, z) position as a color, without biasing. For this reason, you will want to use a file format that supports floating-point bit-depth or ensure that the coordinates of the object are between 0 and 1.
Depth Maps, also called height maps, are grayscale representations of the height of every point on an object's surface. Depth maps are often used by game developers to create a more realistic bump-mapping effect called parallax mapping, which simulates the correct displacement you perceive on an object's surface, based on the camera's point of view.
The UV Basis options allow you to specify how to compute the UV basis that is used when you generate Normal maps and/or UV Basis maps that you configured on the Maps tab.
Force Perpendicular Basis |
When activated, the V-basis is changed to ensure it is perpendicular to the (current) U basis and the interpolated normal. The U-basis is then changed to ensure it is perpendicular to the new V basis and the interpolated normal. The interpolated normal itself never changes. |
Automatic Basis |
Deactivating this option allows you to specify a Color at Vertices (CAV) property that encodes the tangents to be used to compute the UV Basis instead of a texture projection. |
Texture Projection (For Automatic Generation) |
Specifies the texture projection used to compute the UV Basis. In most cases, the texture projection specified in the Format options on the Basic tab is ideal for computing the UV basis because this projection tends to produce very little shearing in the UVs. See Specifying a Texture Projection [Texturing]. |
User-Defined Basis |
When the Automatic Basis option is deactivated, this parameter specifies an existing CAV property that encodes the tangents to be used to compute the UV Basis. See Specifying Parameter Maps or Vertex Colors in Property Editors [Scene Elements]. |
The options on this tab allow you to set a background color, apply basic color correction to surface color maps that you create, and control parameters for ambient occlusion maps.
These options allow you to control the basic ambient occlusion shader parameters when you create an ambient occlusion map.