Autodesk 12812-051462-9011 User Guide 3 - Page 22

The names of individual map types describe the pattern or effect they create, such as Checker map, Bitmap, Gradient, Flat Reflection, and so on. NOTE In some cases the user interface also uses "map" to describe not the map type, but the visual component being mapped. For example, a "diffuse map" means a map of any type applied to a material's diffuse component. This is an ambiguity in the use of "map" that can be a bit confusing when you first encounter it. Assigning Maps For a standard material on page 5395, you assign maps using the Maps rollout. Click the Map button in line with the name of the visual component you want to map. The Material/Map Browser on page 5290 is displayed. Select the map type (for example, Bitmap) from the list of maps, and then click OK. Double-clicking the map's name in the Browser also assigns the map type. The Browse From group box in the Browser creates new maps by default. You can also use it to obtain maps from a library (see Saving A Material), from the current scene, from objects selected in the scene, or from elsewhere in the material editor. In the Browser, you can turn on icons of differing sizes to preview maps before you assign them. A Standard material's Basic Parameters rollout has shortcut buttons for assigning a map to some of the material's visual components. These small buttons are equivalent to the buttons in the Maps rollout. Assigning a map to a button in one rollout changes the corresponding button in the other. Each type of map has its own set of parameters and controls. If the map is a Checker map, for example, you can choose the colors of the checkers, and whether a checker color has a map of its own. You can change tiling values to affect the scale of the checkers, adjust noise parameters to make the checkers irregular, and so on. NOTE To save loading time, if a map with the same name is in two different locations (in two different paths), it is loaded only once. This poses a problem only if your scene includes two maps that have different content but the same name. In this case, only the first map encountered will appear in the scene. Navigating the Material/Map Tree When you build a material of any complexity, you are building a material/map tree. The root of the tree is the material itself. The branches are the maps you Using Maps to Enhance a Material | 5277