When you map a 2D or 3D texture to an object, you connect it to an attribute of the object’s material. Textures map to geometry based on the object’s UV texture coordinates. For more information about texture mapping, see Texture mapping.
Unless you use a method that explicitly connects a texture to a specific attribute of the object’s material, it connects to the material’s default attribute (usually color or transparency). For more information on node connections, see Render node connections.
To map a texture using Hypershade
For information about mapping methods, see Mapping methods.
The texture is placed on the object in a default position, and a placement node appears in the Hypershade. For more information on placement nodes, see Place 2d Texture.
In versions previous to Maya 4.5, this connected the file.outColor to material.transparency. If you prefer the old behavior, you can disable the automatic connection of file.outTransparency to material.transparency in the situations described above. To do so, set the environment variable: