The Appearances folder contains all of your DriveWorks 3D Documents Appearances.
Model appearances can be added, edited, deleted and merged. Initially these appearances will be taken from imported Drive3D files.
Additional Appearances can be added at any point in the DriveWorks 3D Document.
The following settings can be applied to each Appearance:
The following guides detail how to work with Appearances:
With an Appearance selected in the Feature Panel the following will be displayed in the Information Panel:
Items from the Information Panel can be multi-selected by:
Selected items will have common properties displayed in the Information Panel.
Values entered will be be applied to all selected items.
The Appearance name will appear at the top of the Appearance user interface along with Render Properties.
Controls the render property of the Appearance. Different render properties render in different ways.
You can select the following Render Properties:
Allows images with transparency to display any objects or scenes behind them.
For Render Properties, other than Glass, the Alpha Mode can be set to:
Will display any alpha in the image as fully visible.
Will display any alpha in the image as fully visible or fully transparent, depending on the Cutout Threshold.
Set a value between 0 and 255 for the threshold to use to determine the pixels that will be displayed.
Using images with transparency, with the Cutout Alpha Mode, can enhance the DriveWorks 3D model by reducing the need for complex geometry.
For example, the image below:
Can be applied, as an appearance, to a Model.
The gray and white chequered background represents the alpha channel used in the image.
The Alpha Mode settings applied are shown in the table below:
Default | Cutout |
---|---|
![]() | ![]() |
Sets the color to use for the diffuse color of the Appearance.
Will apply a hexadecimal value to the Diffuse Color in the Parameter Panel.
Modifies the amount of red in the Diffuse Color. Enter a number from 0 to 255.
Modifies the amount of blue in the Diffuse Color. Enter a number from 0 to 255.
Modifies the amount of green in the Diffuse Color. Enter a number from 0 to 255.
Controls the alpha channel or transparency of the Diffuse Color. Enter a number from 0 to 255.
Controls the ambient intensity of the Appearance as a whole. Enter a number.
Controls the intensity of the Diffuse Color/Texture. Enter a number.
Sets the color to use for the specular.
Will apply a hexadecimal value to the Specular Color in the Parameter Panel.
Modifies the amount of red in the Specular Color. Enter a number from 0 to 255.
Modifies the amount of blue in the Specular Color. Enter a number from 0 to 255.
Modifies the amount of green in the Specular Color. Enter a number from 0 to 255.
Controls the intensity of the specular highlight on an Appearance. Enter a number.
Controls the amount of reflectivity of an Appearance. Enter a number from 0 and above.
Modifies the scale of a texture to suit the size of the model. Enter a number from 0 and above.
Modifies the scale of a texture to suit the size of the model. Enter a number from 0 and above.
Change the rotation of a texture on a model. Enter a number from 0 to 360.
Offset an applied texture in the X Axis. Allows you to position textures accurately on surfaces. Enter a number.
Offset an applied texture in the Y Axis. Allows you to position textures accurately on surfaces. Enter a number.
Select a diffuse texture from the list of available textures in the Document. Alternatively you can browse for a texture or build a rule to the path of a new texture.
Select a specular texture from the list of available textures in the Document. Alternatively you can browse for a texture or build a rule to the path of a new texture.
Select a normal texture from the list of available textures in the Document. Alternatively you can browse for a texture or build a rule to the path of a new texture.
Select an emissive texture from the list of available textures in the Document. Alternatively you can browse for a texture or build a rule to the path of a new texture.
Once a new appearance has been added values for the parameters above can be applied.
Appearances can be applied by dragging (left mouse click and hold) from the Feature Panel onto the target model in the 3D View or the Node tree (in the Feature Panel).
The effect is previewed in the 3D view and only applied once the mouse button is released.
Shortcuts that apply when dragging into the Node tree:
Appearances cannot be applied to a target model that has an override appearance rule set.
This is highlighted in the 3D View.
All selected Appearances merge into one.
Import Resource allows you to import Geometry and Appearances without adding the files Node structure to your DriveWorks 3D Document. This gives you the ability to build your own Node structure and lets you place models where you need them.
The DriveWorks 3D File will be added as a source file and the Geometries and Appearances will be added to the DriveWorks 3D Document.
Please see the topics below for more information: