textures

[Master chief]

Ok i know this is going to sound like a compleatly dumb question but iv have some how managed to lose my manual ,

 

ok how do i take a image file say a jpeg of sand and import it into AM

[Rodney]

Concerning the manual... you can download an electronic version of it by following the Support link at: http://www.hash.com

(direct link to the resourse page is HERE )

 

 

ok how do i take a image file say a jpeg of sand and import it into AM

 

Assuming you have v13 or later:

- Open the Project Workspace

- Right Click on the Image area and Import/Open your JPEG

 

You can do this even easier via dialogue boxes that pop up when applying decals, patch images and rotoscopes.

 

If you have an earlier version of A:M you will have to convert the JPEG image to Targa or BMP format first... then import it.

Programs such as Irfanview (http://www.irfanview.com) excell act converting images from one format to another.

[Master chief]

ok i tryed this but i dont ave the options to import a texture file

 

right clicking and going to import gives

 

model

light files

camera files

v4.x segment

[Rodney]

I think you are perhaps not looking in the Project Workspace? (Thats the list on the left)

See attached:

 

Those steps again:

- Open the Project Workspace

- Right Click on the Image area container and Import your JPEG

[johnl3d]

a jpeg is a iimage load it there and then apply to the model as a decal

[Rodney]

There are other ways to bring images into A:M too of course.

This is only one way.

 

Decals

When creating a New Decal an image will automatically be asked for.

You can then Browse to where it is and grab it.

 

Patch Images

When you select a patch or group of patches then Right Click you can assign an image.

Select Add Image, browse to the image's location and grab it.

 

Not easy enough you say?

Any image that is in your Library you can drag and drop as a decal, apply as a patch image or import as a Rotoscope or Layer.

 

(Images to be uploaded soon for your viewing pleasure)

[Rodney]

Okay... There are a lot of ways to import images so it took longer than I thought!

 

First is the method I mentioned above.

That is the surest way to Import an image into A:M.

 

Next might be to Drag and Drop from your Library onto a Group.

The group will automatically be textured with the image.

 

Down side: If you don't have the image in your Library you can't do this.

 

Upside: Its really quick and easy to do

[Rodney]

The next way is related to the 2nd method but you are assigning the image to the patches manually.

Right Click on the Group and select 'Add Image':

[Rodney]

A third way would be to Import the Image as a Rotoscope.

To do this you need a Rotoscope of Course:

 

Note: For almost all the methods I'm listing images that you've already imported into A:M will be available to choose from in the dropdown list.

If those aren't what you are looking for choose 'Other' and browse to the desired image. Once you find it select it and it will be imported.

[Rodney]

A fourth way would be to create a New Layer.

When you create the Layer it will ask you for an image:

 

Once again you'll see the option to choose an available image or search for a new one.

[Rodney]

All of these methods focus on images for use with Objects.

You can perform similar processes in an Action window or Choreography.

 

If you Drag and Drop an image into a Choreography A:M won't know exactly what to do so... it will ask you:

 

Note: In this case I've dragged a Sky image from my Libary into a Choreography window.

The dialog box pops up and I'm going to choose 'Rotoscope'.

 

I could just as easily select 'Layer' but I don't need that much flexibility/rotation etc.

[Rodney]

I'm sure there are a few more ways to get images into A:M but those are the ones I could readily think of.

 

Ah yes... here's another.

You can drag and drop from a folder on your harddrive into A:M as well.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is probably the easiest way to get resources into your Libraries too.

Especially as you can entire collections of images into your Libarary all at the same time.

[Caroline]

No, Rodney you're the best

 

That last image - that's a corker - I just dragged my current project (ever uncompleted image contest) into my library. So easy to find.

 

My question - Those tabs along the library HTML Tutorials/Projects/Models etc, can you add a new tab? Like My Projects/My Images?

[Master chief]

ok i know now how to get the pictures into am but my original question is still un answered and thats how do a take say a marble texture and put it into the librarys so that it can be used like the built in ones are

[John Bigboote]

Patch Images

When you select a patch or group of patches then Right Click you can assign an image.

Select Add Image, browse to the image's location and grab it.

 

I did not know this! I always grouped the patches and then dragged-N-dropped the image (from the images folder) onto the group. You will want to make sure the image is a 'tile' beforehand and you may need to 'rotate images' patch by patch afterwards. (Select the patch, right click and select 'Rotate Images' until it is oriented properly.)

A cool thing about this is that you can then add the image AGAIN to the patch image and select 'bump' as it's attribute...

[Rodney]

A cool thing about this is that you can then add the image AGAIN to the patch image and select 'bump' as it's attribute...

 

Matt,

There is certainly more powerful stuff there than I can begin to understand.

I can't articulate what I know enough for anyone to understand.

 

But... all that for another discussion.

[Rodney]

My question - Those tabs along the library HTML Tutorials/Projects/Models etc, can you add a new tab? Like My Projects/My Images?

 

No Ma'am, not at this time at least.

Having the ability to customize those tabs would be optimum. (If interested I hope you'll submit such a suggestion to A:M Reports)

 

There is already a lot you can do with Libraries and I'm confident that in time (and with more interest) we'll be able to do even more.

[Rodney]

ok i know now how to get the pictures into am but my original question is still un answered and thats how do a take say a marble texture and put it into the librarys so that it can be used like the built in ones are

 

Is your marble texture a Material or an Image?

If its a material drag and drop it into a folder in the Materials tab of the Library.

 

If its an image drag it into a folder on the Image tab of the Libary.

If you don't care to Drag and Drop you can Right Click and Select 'Create Shortcut' then browse for the material and grab it.

 

Warning to the uninitiated: You cannot save things to the Library on the A:M CD as it is 'read only'.

You can only save things into Libraries on writeable media. You are welcome to test this theory.

[Caroline]

QUOTE

My question - Those tabs along the library HTML Tutorials/Projects/Models etc, can you add a new tab? Like My Projects/My Images?

No Ma'am, not at this time at least.

 

However, I did just notice in the Libraries dropdown list, that there is one called My Library which seems to hold the stuff I have dragged in to All Libraries. So that's cool.

[Rodney]

However, I did just notice in the Libraries dropdown list, that there is one called My Library which seems to hold the stuff I have dragged in to All Libraries. So that's cool.

 

Yes. Those geniuses at Hash Inc made adding resources to Libraries really easy. I think you may have stumbled onto an enhancement.

I'm not sure who is responsible for that particular coding but they done good. Real good. There was a time when people would often report they couldn't copy their resources into their Libraries and a read only CDRom was generally the culprit.

 

I'll credit Noel as he's the one responsible for improving a lot of stuff in the Libraries over the years.

 

 

Master Chief,

 

Hope you had success in getting your textures into the Library.

[Master chief]

Ok maybe you guys didnt quite get what i need help doing. ( though the help given is still quite usefull) i want to take a .Jpg Of marble and turn in into on of the materials in the library i dont know how to turn a .jpg into a .mat file and every time i try and create a new material it wont let me select the jpg to import. how do i do this

[Caroline]

A material and a jpg are completely different things, totally different. You cannot convert a jpg to a mat.

 

A material is "procedural". Which means that it is calculated when the object is rendered.

 

A jpg can be used as a "decal". This is applied to a model.

 

Decals deform and stretch when animated. Materials don't, because they are calculated upon render.

 

What you may be trying to do is apply a decal?

 

Exercise 10 of TaoA:M takes you through a decal.

 

Exercise 14 of TaoA:M takes you through creating a material.

 

The videos of these exercises are here:

http://www.hash.com/2007web/vm.htm

 

Basic steps of applying a decal:

 

1. In a model window, or most people use an action window, hide all the control points that you don't want decalled.

2. Import your image (jpg or tga).

3. Drag your image onto the model

4. Choose Decal not Rotoscope.

5. Size and position the decal

6. Right click the decal

7. Left click Apply

8. Right click the decal

9. Left click Stop Positioning.

 

And there's your image stamped on the model.

[Rodney]

In addition to what Caroline says about images versus materials it should be noted that some Materials can -use- images and as such when the material is applied to geometry the image is transferred. As Materials take a lot longer to render I'd say stick with decals/images as much as you can.

 

The manual covers some very important information on these topics and is recommended reading.

Hopefully you've downloaded it.