Materials in 3D views

[Anonymous]

What procedure would you use to create brick, layed in Flemish bond, of custom color, in 3D views? (At this point I'm not concerned with rendered views.) Here are the two ways I've tried: In the Materials Settings box, using OpenGL, I can select brick of a suitable pattern in the Textures menu, but cannot override its color. Changing from OpenGL to Lightworks, I can customize the color, but I cannot make Lightworks function in the 3D window.

What to do? I've done a fair bit of reading in this forum as well as in the Reference Guide but haven't found a direct answer.

Best,
Ray

[Barry Kelly]

Duplicate the texture that you are using in OpenGL and then use an external program (Photoshop or similar) to change the colours.
Or if you don't have that option search the internet to find another texture that is more suitable.
Barry.

[Anonymous]

"but I cannot make Lightworks function in the 3D window. "

LightWorks isn't available in the 3D window. As for textures you can also use images with transparency (only the joints are visible) and then you'd be able to adjust the colors.

[David Maudlin]

Jeffrey wrote:
As for textures you can also use images with transparency (only the joints are visible) and then you'd be able to adjust the colors.

The textures with alpha channels for this type of transparency only work with the rendering engines, not in the 3D Window.

David

[Anonymous]

While the bump mapping etc doesn't have any effect you can still show the joints and change the color in OpenGL.

[David Maudlin]

Jeffrey:

I think what is working in your example is the Specular color, with the Glowing parameter set very high, rather than the Surface color.

David

[Anonymous]

Here's a tip for you:

Go to your material settings and create a new (or modify an existing) brick material.
Go to the Lightworks settings and "Load Settings form Archive". In the Basic LWA files are various materials, select brick (your options may vary from my image, but look around. There are other brick types that can have multiple coloured bricks for a more natural, random look).
Set the brick size, colour, mortar etc as desired.
You can adjust displacement settings too, to get a more 3 dimensional look.
Assign this material to a wall or slab and render this in Lightworks viewed straight on, with even lighting.
Save the rendered image (to a loaded Texture library and reload Libraries) and assign this image as a texture in the Internal Engine settings for your material.
Your material will now display in Open GL 3D window, as well as Lightworks renderings.

[Anonymous]

Jeffrey:

I think what is working in your example is the Specular color, with the Glowing parameter set very high, rather than the Surface color.

Yes. I should have realized from my original answer but because I knew I had created hundreds of materials for someone to do just what the OP was looking for and just couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. I used to be able to change the texture color and the surface color. I though it was something to do with v15. So I rummaged around to find the project I had created them in and realized they were created pre-Open GL and LightWorks. The goal was 3D views and elevations that looked more hand drawn than cartoonish and were indeed vectorial hatches not textures so when it finally occurred to me to switch to the internal 3D engine it worked as it should. However, I recalled it being slow back then but in 15 it crawls at a snails pace except for the elevations. In 3D shaded and hidden line it is considerably quicker with 9 running under Rosetta.

[David Maudlin]

Jeffrey:

Thanks for checking and posting back.

I wish alpha channel textures worked for OpenGL, as this would make coordination between the various 3D engines easier. This has become a bigger issue now, as the OpenGL settings are used for the BimX export, so keeping the BimX and LightWorks output in sync takes more effort.

David

[Anonymous]

Barry and Stuart: both of your methods worked well, thereby relieving a great deal of aggravation. Thank you!