Environment Controls

The Environment Controls allows you to add glassy reflections and textured surfaces to your artwork. The image below shows the Environment Control as the second button from the right side. Please note that the image below might be slightly different in different effects.

Glassiness
This slider control adjusts the other sliders into ranges to make light look glassy. If this is already set to optimal, then this control will give little visual results. This effect is best viewed on beveled surfaces.

Environment
The Environment Opacity controls how much of the glassy environment map shows through the effect. The higher the setting, the stronger the environment map will show. Setting between 25 and 50 will generate a good shine.

Environment Menu
This menu allows you to load up different environment maps that generate the surface reflections. You may use your own maps by selecting the Load Custom Map option. Any image that has shiny surfaces will work here, and photos of chrome are excellent.

Hue
This slider shifts the color values of an image across a color spectrum. This control does not effect either lightness or saturation.

Saturation
This slider makes the colors in the image more or less vibrant. It is useful for making colors pop while not effecting overall tone or lightness.

Luminance
This slider adjusts the luminance or "light" qualities in the image.

Softness
This slider will soften the selected image making it look out of focus.

Surface Map Orientation
This menu allows you to rotate the map direction in specified direction increments. You may also flip orientation both horizontally or vertically.

Texture
This slider control defines how opaque the selected texture map appears.

Texture Map Menu
This menu allows you to load up different texture maps that will be used as the background surface behind the environment map. You can use your own textures by selecting Load Custom Map options on the menu. Any seamless texture will work with this feature.

Scale
This slider will reduce or enlarge the seamless texture map that you have loaded as a background for your effect.

By Joe Cilinceon, © July 24, 2002