Texturing imported models using texture maps

Last updated: 08.05.2002

Bryce 3D introduced, for the first time, the ability to apply texture maps to imported objects. This is a giant leap forward in terms of usability, as it means that you are no longer forced to texture your objects using Booleans or by breaking the model down into its components, so you can get much better results, much more simply.

This tutorial explains how to texture a figure, using a female nude as the starting point.

1	Export the figure to be used from Poser. It should be exported as a Wavefront OBJ (or 3D Studio) file. On the Export Options dialog, check the checkbox that reads "Export object groups for each body part". Figure 1: Poser Export Options dialog
2	If you haven't already done so, construct a texture map for the figure and save it in a format that Bryce knows how to import, such as Photoshop, PICT (Macintosh), or TIFF (PC).
3	Import the figure to Bryce, using the Import Object command. With Bryce 3D, this often takes several minutes; with Bryce 4, it is very much faster. Figure 1: Imported figure
4	When the model has imported, click on it to select it, and click the Solo mode button (the small green button among the VCR controls at the foot of the screen). This will hide all other objects in the scene, allowing you to work on the figure in isolation.
5	Choose Ungroup from the Objects menu to split the model up into its separate parts.
6	Select the figure's hair. Apply a suitable hair texture to it. While you have it selected, use the Attributes Editor to give it a name (such as 'Hair') so that you can select it by name from the Meshes menu in future.
7	Select everything except the hair. The Invert Selection on the Edit menu is a good way to do this. Make sure that you don't select the camera as well. If you do end up with the camera selected, holding down shift and choosing Select Camera from the pop-up menu at the foot of the screen should deselect it for you. If your figure includes other attached props besides the hair, deselect them as well.
8	Group the selected objects, which is to say all the meshes making up the figure. Use the Attributes Editor to name this group something like 'Figure Body'. You may also want to assign them a distinctive family color.
9	Click the 'M' control next to the grouped figure to apply a Material to the figure.
10	Choose the 'flat white' material, the first texture in the Simple and Fast materials library.
11	Click in the 'A' column, next to the word 'Diffuse'. A component editor will appear on the right of the screen, initially set to a random 3D texture.
12	Click on the 'P' button at the foot of the component editor to specify that you want to use a picture texture. The component editor will change to show the default picture (Leonardo).
13	Click on the pink button at the top of the component editor. This is the 'texture source editor' which, for 2D pictures, will take you into the 2D picture library.
14	Click the text 'Load' that appears over the rightmost preview image on the library screen. This will load a new image into the first unused slot in the library. Choose your texture map file. The map will now be read in.
15	Click the white dot over the second preview image on the library screen, and answer 'OK' when asked if you want to delete. This clears the image mask for the map you have loaded (which defaulted to the mask for the Leonardo figure). Because of the way texture mapping works, you don't need a mask for your map, and using the wrong mask will just cause problems.
16	Exit the library to go back to the Materials Lab.
17	Click the 'A' column next to 'Ambient' as well, so that a second glass bead appears just below the first one, as shown in Figure 2 (click for a full-size image of the Lab showing the correct settings). Figure 2: The Materials Lab
18	If you are using Bryce 3D 3.1 or a later version (and you are strongly recommended to upgrade Bryce 3D to version 3.1, which fixes a number of very serious bugs), the texture map must be inverted before it can be used. To do this, click the greenish dot at the top left corner of the component editor that holds your texture map. This will bring up an editor that lets you change the orientation, scale and position of your texture. Figure 3: Texture placement editor Click where it says 0° next to the X (in the second group of figures), and type 180 in the text entry field. This will effectively flip your texture map. Then click the button at the bottom right of the editor to close it.
19	You can also apply maps to control bump, transparency, specularity, reflection or any of the other channels of the Material. See the note on additional maps for instructions on how to do this.
20	Exit the Materials Lab
21	Select the figure's hair and any other props that should stay with the figure, group them with the figure's body, and use the Attributes Editor to give the whole collection some memorable name so that you can pick it out easily.
22	Test render the image, and then click the Solo button again to exit Solo mode. Figure 4: Rendered figure
23	Decorate to taste ... Figure 5: Final render

The ability to use maps significantly increases the realism of the results that can be obtained with imported models in Bryce. However, if you're lucky enough to have Poser 4 and Bryce 4, Bryce will let you achieve the same results still more easily by reading the materials files generated by Poser.