After seeing render and illumination in the last chapter, in this chapter we will complete the render subject with materials and effects. As important as lighting a 3D scene is the application of realistic materials that resemble materials of the real world. AutoCAD also allows us to specify scene backgrounds and applying fog effect.
The topics covered in this chapter are:
- Understanding materials
- How to apply materials
- How to open a material library
- How to create materials from different templates
- How to create textures
- How to control mapping coordinates
- Applying backgrounds and fog
Since Version 2011, with the introduction of Autodesk Materials and the inclusion of more than 700 excellent looking and ready-to-apply materials, photo-realistic images can easily be obtained. These materials can be adjusted and we can also create countless materials, generic or template-based.
Materials are defined from several parameters, often including textures or maps. Textures can be photos, images, and also several procedural maps simulating tiles, chess patterns, wood, marble, and others. When using textured materials, mapping coordinates (the way textures are painted on faces, including texture origin, scale, and rotation) can be adjusted.
Until applying materials, a special material, called Global with color defined by the object, is applied to all objects. This material cannot be deleted or renamed. Materials can be applied to objects, to faces of objects or by layer, the last being the preferable way.
As effects, AutoCAD only includes background and fog or depth cue.