Visualization Guide
Visualization Guide
Visualization Guide

Animate Material Settings

Use it!

Used to animate material characteristics. You can, for example, change one material into another, or scale the size of the pattern or bump maps.

Animate Material Settings dialog box

  
Tool SettingEffect
Frame Number

Sets the frame number from which the settings become active.

Interpolation

Sets the method used to interpolate the change to the setting.

  • Linear
    • — Transition from one setting to the other is calculated linearly.
  • Spline
    • — Calculation of the transition from one setting to the other is based on a b-spline curve.
Velocity

Sets the velocity of the transition from one set of values to the next.

  • Constant
    • — Transition is at a constant rate.
  • Accelerate
    • — Transition starts at rest, moving with constant acceleration.
  • Decelerate
    • — Transition constantly decelerates to finish at rest.
  • Accelerate-Decelerate
    • — Transition starts at rest, accelerates to half-way, then decelerates to finish at rest.
  • Infinite
    • — Transition is instantaneous, from the last viewing position to the camera view.
Material

List box displays materials used in the design and available for animating.

Setting

Defines the material setting that is being animated.

If a pattern map or bump map image file is to be animated, the name of the file must contain one or more digits. The filename must also identify the file as a member of a sequentially numbered series of files composing an animated sequence. The increment value is added to the filename sequence number after each frame. If an increment value of one is used, an animated background will play at the same speed as the input sequence. Values less than one will play slower, and values greater than one will play faster (and skip some frames in the input sequence). Increment values less than zero cause the input sequence to play backwards.

If a model with an environment map(s) is to be animated, it is advisable to create geometry that defines the extents of the portion to animate. This prevents the environment map(s) from drifting.

For information about defining material characteristics, see Material Characteristics.

To script a material characteristic
  1. In the Animation Settings tool box, select the Animate Material Settings tool.
    The Animate Material Settings dialog box opens.

  2. In the Material list box, select the material.

  3. In the Frame Number field, key in the frame number.

  4. From the Interpolation option menu, choose the interpolation method — Linear or Spline — for the transition to the new setting value.

  5. From the Velocity option menu, choose the velocity type — Constant, Accelerate, Decelerate, Accelerate-Decelerate, or Infinite — for the transition to the new setting value.

  6. From the Setting option menu, choose the setting to animate:

    Color

    Specular Color

    Ambient

    Finish

    Reflect

    Transparency

    Diffuse

    Specular

    Refract

    Translucency

    Thickness

    Pattern Map

    Pattern Map Increment (for animating a pattern map)

    Pattern Weight

    Pattern Map Angle

    Pattern Map X Size

    Pattern Map Y Size

    Pattern Map X Offset

    Pattern Map Y Offset

    Bump Map

    Bump Map Increment (for animating a bump map)

    Bump Height

  7. Use the control(s) below the Setting option menu to specify the setting value (or to select a pattern map or bump map file to which a value applies). These controls are similar to those in the Define Materials dialog box.

  8. Accept the settings with a data point.
    The new script entry is entered in the Animation Producer dialog box list.

Alternative Method — To script a material characteristic
  1. From the Animation Producer dialog box's Settings menu, choose Animate > Material.
    The Animate Material Characteristic dialog box opens.

    Animate Material Characteristic dialog box

      

  2. In the Material list box, select the material.

  3. In the Frame Number field, key in the frame number.

  4. From the Interpolation option menu, choose the interpolation method — Linear or Spline — for the transition to the new setting value.

  5. From the Velocity option menu, choose the velocity type — Constant, Accelerate, Decelerate, Accelerate-Decelerate, or Infinite — for the transition to the new setting value.

  6. From the Setting menu, choose the setting to animate:

    Color

    Specular Color

    Ambient

    Finish

    Reflect

    Transparency

    Diffuse

    Specular

    Refract

    Translucency

    Thickness

    Pattern Map

    Pattern Map Increment (for animating a pattern map)

    Pattern Weight

    Pattern Map Angle

    Pattern Map X Size

    Pattern Map Y Size

    Pattern Map X Offset

    Pattern Map Y Offset

    Bump Map

    Bump Map Increment (for animating a bump map)

    Bump Height

  7. Use the control(s) below the Setting option menu to specify the setting value (or to select a pattern map or bump map file to which a value applies). These controls are similar to those in the Define Materials dialog box.

  8. Click the OK button.
    Focus returns to the Animation Producer dialog box. The new script entry is listed there.