MaterialMap

BricsCAD (Windows) Pro, PlatinumBricsCAD (Mac) Pro, PlatinumBricsCAD (Linux) Pro, Platinum

 

Allows to adjust how a texture image is mapped to faces of a 3D solid and filled entities such as 3D faces, wide polylines and polygon meshes.

Accessing the Command

command bar:  materialmap

menu bar:  View | Rendering | Material Map

toolbar:  Rendering |

 

: materialmap

Prompts you in the command bar:

Select an option [Box/Planar/Spherical/Cylindrical/Copy mapping to (Y)/Reset mapping)] <Box>: (Choose an option or press Enter to choose Box mapping.)

Select faces or entities: (Select an entity.)

Entities in set: 1

Select faces or entities: (Select more entities or press Enter.)

The manipulator of the selected mapping mode displays.

Command Options

Option

Description

Select faces or entities

Use any of the selection procedures to select entities. See the Select command.

All selected entities are included in the yellow bounding box of the manipulator.

 

 

To scale the mapping image:
Drag one of the blue arrow grips to scale the texture in the X-, Y- or Z direction.

 

To move the mapping image:
Do one of the following:

  • Place the cursor over the one of the tripod axes and click when a second arrowhead displays on the selected axis, then move the cursor to adjust the position of the pattern in the selected direction.



    The box tripod has three axes X (green), Y (red) and Z (blue); in the image above the Y-axis is selected.
     

  • Place the cursor over a plane quarter (XZ, YZ or XY) and click when the quarter highlights and a second arrowhead displays on the defining axes of the plane, then move the cursor to adjust the position of the pattern in the selected plane .

     

    The box tripod has three plane handles: XY, XZ and YZ (left); in the image above the YZ-plane handle is selected.

To rotate the mapping image:
Do the following:

  • Move the cursor over one of the rotation handles and click when the handle expands.
    The rotation axis in the color of the selected handle displays.
    The material map rotates dynamically around the selected axis.

  • Click a point to define the rotation angle.

Box

Wraps the texture around the six faces of a the bounding box of the selected entity or entities.

 

 

Prompts you:

Edit the mapping or [reseT/sWitch mapping mode] <Accept current mapping>: Press Enter to accept the mapping or choose an option.

Planar

Aligns the texture to a single face.

To select a face of a 3D solid:

- Set SELECTIONPREVIEW = 2 or 3 or check the Select Faces option of the SELECTIONMODES system variable.

- Place the cursor over the 3D solid face and click when the face highlights. Repeatedly hit the TAB key to select an obscured face

 

Prompts you:

Edit the mapping or [reseT/sWitch mapping mode] <Accept current mapping>: Press Enter to accept the mapping or choose an option.

Spherical

Aligns the texture to a spherical shape. The top and bottom edges of the image are compressed to a point at the north and south poles of the sphere.

Spherical mapping of a brick pattern (left) compared to box mapping (right).

 

Prompts you:

Edit the mapping or [reseT/sWitch mapping mode] <Accept current mapping>: Press Enter to accept the mapping or choose an option.

Cylindrical

Aligns the texture to a cylinder shape. The vertical edges of the image are wrapped together. The height of the image is scaled along the axis of the cylindrical shape.

Cylindrical mapping of a wood pattern (left) compared to a box mapping (right).

 

Prompts you:

Edit the mapping or [reseT/sWitch mapping mode] <Accept current mapping>: Press Enter to accept the mapping or choose an option.

Copy mapping to

Applies mapping from the source entity or face to the selected entities, thus duplicating the mapping, including any adjustments, to other entities. All entities share the same mapping origin, axes and scale. As a result the texture image is extended seamlessly from one entity to another .

Prompts you:

Select face or entity: Select the source entity.

Select the entities to copy the mapping to:

Select faces or entities: Select the target entity.

Entities in set: 1

Select faces or entities: Select more target entities or press Enter.

 

Reset mapping

Restores the default mapping; reverses all previously applied adjustments.

Related Commands

MatBrowserOpen - opens the materials browser, which shows an overview of available high-resolution render materials.

Materials - creates materials and edits their properties through the Drawing Explorer.

 

 


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