Complex Materials

[Gander0]

Hi all!

 

Hope you can help.

 

My problem is this this:

 

At present i am creating my first detailed architectural visualisation in version 5. I have a number of detailed editable polygons to which i am applying a number of compostite materials.

 

My process at present is to select the faces/polygons of an element at sub-object level and give all the polygons Material ID's. I then apply a Poly Select Modifier, select by ID the particular face I wish to map, then apply a UVW Mapping Modifier and scale the gizmo accordingly. I then do this again and again until all the surface requiring different materials have UVW Maps.

 

I follow this procedure because i need each material to be accurate on each set of faces i select.

 

My question is that this can't be the best procedure can it?

I end up with a massive modifier list of Poly Select and UVW Mapping modifiers and can't even access the base Editable Polygon Modifier to add or subtract face selections from a particular Material ID.

 

Can anyone explain a better way of acurately mapping a number of complex materials while still being able to access and edit Material ID selections.

 

Any help is very much appreciated!

[ZepSOFD]

Gander0,

 

Have you looked into Multi/Sub-Object mat's and the Map Channel under UVW Mapping? or have I just mis-understood your question.

 

tom

[Gander0]

Thanks for your reply Tom

 

Just took a look at that map channel in the UVW modifier in Max, maybe thats what im looking for I guess that allows you a different UVW map for each Material ID....?? Gonna go and try it. If that works then its the answer to my problems and your a superstar!

 

Thanks very much!!!

[ZepSOFD]

That's the point of a Multi/Sub mat. to assign a mat. to a sub-object material id number. The UVW Map Channel works with the Map Channel inside a material, so although you assign the UVW Mapping to an object you don't have to assign it to every sub-object that needs to scale a material. Potentially you may have a Modifier Stack that lookes like this:

 

UVW Mapping -->Map Chan. 6 Controls Mat. ID 4

UVW Mapping -->Map Chan. 5 Controls Mat. ID 3

UVW Mapping -->Map Chan. 4 Controls Mat. ID 2

UVW Mapping -->Map Chan. 3 Controls Mat. ID 1, Transparency Mask

UVW Mapping -->Map Chan. 2 Controls Mat. ID 1, Bump Map

UVW Mapping -->Map Chan. 1 Controls Mat. ID 1, Diffuse map

Editable Mesh

 

You can rename the UVW Mapping in the stack so you can keep track of what each controls.

 

tom