Blade Pro Lesson Three

Textures and Environments - 

We will refer to buttons #2, #3, #4, #29 and #30 for the most part in this lesson.

Textures -

 Button #3   is the texture bitmap button.   Some preset effects use a texture, some do not.  The basic gold effect we have been using does not, it is a flat shiny effect.  The button will be blank when you first apply this preset.  So we like that look, but let's say we'd like something a little rougher in appearance, something like oh say THIS

Click on button #2 , and you will get a dropdown list of built-in texture bitmaps.  These are grayscale bitmaps, usually 150x150 pixels though they can be larger.  The top choice is blank, that is what you use for NO texture, the next 11 are built in textures that you can apply.  Click on one of those and you will see button #3 change to reflect that texture.   Move the slider on button #29 to reduce or enlarge the texture effect on the image in the preview pane.

 Now let us assume that none of those built-in textures strikes your fancy.  (Where exactly IS your fancy, can anyone tell me?  And is it a GOOD thing to have your fancy stricken?  Things that make you go hmmmmmm....)

You can use ANY bitmap as a texture source.  It's best if it's 150x150, but I have used larger.  Click on the last choice in the bitmap dropdown menu, the one that says BMP.  Then navigate to the texture file you wish to use.  It can be located anywhere on your hard drive.  You do NOT have to have it in your environments and textures folder, though if you decide to use that particular texture a lot, it's a good idea to put it in a folder where you won't move it, cause BP will look for it if you decide to save the effect as a preset (no, you don't know how to do that yet, later in the show.)

Here's a little fleur-de-lys pattern I used as a texture bitmap, I reduced the size of the texture with the slider (button #29 .)



You can even use a photograph of someone, someone perhaps you know quite well, someone who should be immortalized in precious metal for all time....



  

ENVIRONMENTS! -

More fun with bitmaps!   Button #4 controls your environment bitmaps.  These images are similar to textures, but they can be and probably are very colorful, because often they will affect the finished color of your image, or the color of any reflection.  The basic gold preset we have been experimenting with uses a bitmap within your environments and textures folder called (oddly enough) gold.bmp.

If you want to change the environment .bmp, click directly on the button and then navigate to the file you want to use.

 

 same filter, copper.bmp        same filter, sea and sky bmp.  (note how the new image produced a slightly more angular beveled effect.)

 

 same filter, pinkglass .bmp from a stained glass set someone sent me.   The only setting I changed on all three of these images was the environment bitmap. 

 

If you click on button #30 , it will change the orientation of the bitmap you are using to apply the effect (turns it by 90 degrees at a click.)  This can vary the look of the final effect considerably, so try it!

 Okay, go play some more!   Today environments and textures, tomorrow PRESET files, using them, finding them and making your own!  And the ever popular randomizer!