Colour gradient along the length of a loft

[gazbo]

Hi all,

 

Hopefully this will be a real easy one. I've got a loft which will represent a heat pump, cold water goes in one end, gets warmed up by the earth and comes out warm at the other end. I've used a gradient map but because the loft bends back on itself, the gradient doesn't follow the path it just goes from one side to the other.

 

Any ideas?

 

Cheers

[JamesTaylor]

instead of using a gradient map use a texture (create it in photoshop fading from one colour to another), this should then follow the path of the loft... you'll find texture settings in the modifer of the loft allowing you to determine how many times it tiles etc.

 

if your using max you'll also be able to animate the the texture to make it look as if flowing from one end to the other.

[gazbo]

Cheers for the quick response James, I've made the texture and applied it but it still applies it to the whole object rather than following the path. Do I need to use a particular type of uvw mapping?

 

Sorry if I'm being dense.

[Stephen Thomas]

Cheers for the quick response James, I've made the texture and applied it but it still applies it to the whole object rather than following the path. Do I need to use a particular type of uvw mapping?

 

Sorry if I'm being dense.

You don't want to apply a uvw map modifier, just make sure that generate coordinates is checked in your loft settings.

[JamesTaylor]

as stephen says

 

delete your uvw modifier and use the settings available in modifier panel when you have the loft selected.

[gazbo]

Gotcha, working great now. Took off the uvw map, just had to rotate the texture I made.

 

Basic stuff I suppose, just never had the need to do it before.

 

Cheers