Page 828 - Kitab3DsMax

Part VII: Advanced Materials
FIGURE 31.7
The Save Texture Layers dialog box lets you maintain the various texture layers.

Painting in 2D
Painting directly on a 3D object has its advantages, but when painting over a random surface, the results
can be irregular. The Viewport Canvas dialog box includes a 2D painting mode that displays the current
texture in a rectangular window and lets you paint directly on the texture. This is helpful for textures that
need to be projected onto an object such as those with text.
To access the 2D painting mode, simply click the 2D View button under the colors and the current texture
is opened in a window, as shown in Figure 31.8. The buttons at the top of this window let you see the UV
wireframes, fit the texture in the view, or view the image at its actual size. Any changes made to the texture
in 2D painting mode are immediately reflected on the selected object in the viewports.
Clicking the 2D View button again toggles the 2D painting mode off, and the 2D Paint window closes.

Using the paint options
When the Viewport Canvas palette is open, several additional rollouts hold the options that affect the vari-
ous brushes and texture. Within the Options rollout, you can select which map type and channel to paint
on. There is also an option to Save Texture. If this option is disabled, any paint applied to the texture isn’t
saved. This lets you try a different look without saving it. You can also do this by painting on a new layer
that could be deleted. The Brush Preview option shows the outline and size of the brush as you paint.
Within the Paint Behavior rollout are options to have the paint affect any areas of the object within the
brush’s spherical radius or to apply the paint through the entire object with the Depth option. The
Mirroring options let you mirror all paint strokes across the X, Y, or Z axes.
The Randomize rollout, shown in Figure 31.9, lets you set the minimum and maximum values for several
different settings including Brush Radius, Opacity, Spacing, Scatter, and Color.

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