Material Editor
Materials/Light >
Material Editor...
Description:
The Material Editor (Materials/Light > Material Editor...)
dialog allows you to manage the scene's materials. Silo's materials are
applied on a per-face basis, with one material allowed for each face and
one texture image for each material. The workflow for assigning
materials after they've been created generally consists of selecting a
group of faces, giving them texture coordinates with the Automap Selection (Materials/Light > Automap Selection)
command, applying the material to the faces with the Apply Current Material (Materials/Light > Apply Current Material)
command or applying it from within the Materials Editor, and then
editing the material placement on the model using the manipulator while
in texture selection mode. Materials are created within the Material
Editor. A list of scene materials is displayed on the left. Select a
material from the left to edit that material.
Name:
In this field you can change the name of the
currently selected material. Press Enter to update the material's name.
Color:
The color submenu allows you to edit various
properties of the material. These values have an effect even if a
texture image is applied.
> Diffuse
Sets the base color for the material.
> Ambient
Sets the ambient color for the material. The ambient
color affects the default amount of light the material is treated as
receiving, i.e. the brightness and color of the model before any lights
are applied.
> Specular
Sets the color of specular highlights, i.e. areas
where the light is reflected most directly off the model and therefore
brightest.
>Emissive
The emissive property simulates a material which
casts light of the chosen color. Note that this is a material property
only, and will not cast light on other scene objects.
>Shininess
This field allows you to set how shiny the material
is, which affects its degree of specularity. More shininess means
smaller, more intense specular highlights.
File:
The texture file allows you to associate an image
texture with the material. The image will be mapped according to the
faces' UV coordinates created with the "Automap Selection" command, and
can be adjusted using the regular manipulators while in texture
selection mode.
New Material:
Creates a new material with default colors and name.
Apply to Selection:
Applies the current material (selected in the
Material Editor) to the selection. This command only works in object,
face, or texture selection modes.
Automap Selection:
Prepares the selection for mapping by creating UV
coordinates.
Delete:
Deletes the currently selected material from the
Material Editor. The default material will be applied to all surfaces
which had that material assigned. The default material cannot be deleted.
Close:
Closes the Material Editor.
Notes:
-The Material Editor window is non-modal, so you can still edit your
scene with the window open. This is helpful for modifying textures.
-Automap Selection can be applied repeatedly to different groups of
surfaces. If your texture is not applied correctly, automapping separate
groups of faces may be helpful.