User manual BIONATICS NATFX FOR 3DS MAX 1.8

[. . . ] for 3ds max TM USER'S GUIDE Manual The 2D/3D Hybrid plant modeler solution for computer graphics professionals VERSION 1. 8 www. bionatics. com Copyright 2003, BIONATICS All rights reserved natFX software and natFX User's Manual are protected by Copyright law and international agreements. The contents of this document may not be copied or duplicated in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of BIONATICS S. A. Reasonable care has been taken in preparing the information it contains. However, this document may contain omissions, technical inaccuracies, or typographical errors. [. . . ] This information is particularly useful for the modeler who needs to optimize polycount and texture. It also enables him to determine by how many polygons he may reduce by converting a selection into billboards prior to doing so. Selection information. 33. SETTINGS In the Action section. The settings button launches natFX Settings where the user may modify default settings. See natFX Settings for more info. Settings. 34. TEXTURE In the Action rollout of the Modify tab. Please see Texture Manage for more info. Settings. 2D/3D Plant modeling - minimum polygons, maximum realism 68 N AT F X I N T E R FA C E 35. button in the Action section in the Modify tab or from the natFX menu under Texture Manager. The texture manager is a powerful tool providing the user with a tool set to modify texture and analyze texture information. Texture manager. TEXTURE MANAGER | texture info Texture info lists pertinent information concerning the selected tree : Texture name, Type, Apply Object, Width, Height and Location. Apply Object refers to the tree or plant that is currently selected in the workspace. Texture information in the texture manager. natFX® User's Manual Edition 2003 : Version 1. 8 All rights reserved 69 N AT F X I N T E R FA C E TEXTURE MANAGER | selected texture The selected texture appears in the window for viewing. By click on the "View Map" button, a separate window displays a larger image of the texture for closer viewing. The user may modify the Width and Height of the texture and lock the values. He may also force the power of 2, thus ensuring that the texture's size corresponds to the game development texture standards. The user may also simply replace the texture of his choice by click on the "Replace Texture" button. Selected texture. Texture Manager | other The Texture Manager also informs the user on the number of textures as well as the total texture size. The "Apply ratio to each billboard" and "Force power of 2 size for all textures" are two available options. When activated, the "Apply ration. . . " sets all other textures sizes to the selected texture. It is used as a quality factor, retaining the same visual aspect of the textures on the billboards across board. The "Force power. . . " make forces all the textures to the power of 2, a size that is standard for game development. 2D/3D Plant modeling - minimum polygons, maximum realism 70 N AT F X I N T E R FA C E 36. By selecting a billboard, the user may view the texture of the selection. The "view current texture" button launches a pop-up window for closer inspection of the texture. 37. WIND Generate wind with natFX trees by using 3ds max's wind fea tures. Users may use space warps, animated noise and other devices to get the trees blowing in the breeze. The user may also add an existing warp or check Add a New Space Warp to automatically link a new wind warp to the next plant. Wind. 38. WOOD LOD Found in the Plant Morphology section. Wood LOD (level of detail), like Organ LOD, has a range from 0 to 3, with 0 being the minimum and 3 being the maximum level of detail. The LODs help the user optimize tree poly count. Wood LOD. natFX® User's Manual Edition 2003 : Version 1. 8 All rights reserved 71 N AT F X I N T E R FA C E 2D/3D Plant modeling - minimum polygons, maximum realism 72 CHAPTER THREE Basic Workflow - Create Welcome to the natFX for 3ds max® Basic Workflow. [. . . ] 1. 2"Growth Engine" shall mean the software in object code form which acts as a plant generator, to automatically create 3D geometric forms of plants adapted for computer graphic, cartoon, special effects, video game and animation. 1. 3"Plant Data Files" shall mean the database of virtual seeds holding each plant's genetic information which is interpreted by the Growth Engine and rendered in three dimensions. 129 LICENSE AGREEMENT 1. 4"3D Models" shall mean the files of plant images or three dimensional digital coordinates created by the Growth Engine. 1. 5"Images" shall mean any non-virtual rendering of the plants that is generated by the operation of the Growth Engine and that may be reproduced on paper or in a variety of electronic formats. 1. 6"Error" shall mean an anomaly that prevents the Licensed Software from performing substantially in accordance with its specifications but shall not include a fault causing minor or trivial deviations from such specifications. 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