Coloring 3-D models You determine the color and shading of the model via various settings:
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EncodingThe following can be used for coloring your model: height information, a texture image, height-image intensity values, or single-color display.
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Lighting up your modelTurn on the (artificial) light! You can switch on an artificial light source. Light-source position, brightness, color and degree of shadowing are de- termined by you.
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LUTYou can select any palette you like for the model. The palette results in the model being colored according to height. Or, you can also have height lines shown in the model.
The resulting color of any point in the model is composed of all three (above) settings.
Saving/opening 3-D models
A 3-D surface consists of a series of files. The main file is the layout file, which has the W3D file name extension. Any model alterations will automatically be saved in these files.
Each new model (Oper > 3D-Surface > Create) is initially given the following standard name: "Surface3D.w3d". All model files are saved in the program di- rectory at "...\3D Objects\Surface3D\". If you wish to keep the model (and not have it overwritten), then select the File > Save as... command and save the W3D file using a different name in a separate directory. All the other files of the model will automatically be copied to this directory. After these steps, your con- tinued work will be with this copy of the 3-D surface.
To open an existing model, select the File > Open... command, "3D-Workspace (*.w3d)" file type.
Step-by-step
Texturize your model
1) Click the Modify 3D-Surface... button (Surface button bar along the upper edge of 3D window).
Creating 3-D surfaces Coloring models - Step-by-step
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Select Single color to have the 3-D model displayed in a single color. To select the color desired, click the Colors... button. Doubleclick on the Front field and select your color. Select the color of the underside of the model via the Back field.•
Select Texture to have the model colored using a texture image. If you haven’t yet loaded a texture image: click OK to close the dialog box and drag&drop the texture image onto the 3D window.•
Select Height coded to have the model texturized in proportion to its height over the bottom grid. This means that a height of 0 is assigned a gray value of 0; maximum height is assigned the gray value of 255. All this to say that (model) valleys appear dark and peaks bright.•
Select Texture from height to have the model colored using the image intensities of the height image.3) Close the Modify 3D-Surface dialog box. This pyramid-shaped inden-
tation (left) was the result of a Vickers material hardness test. The surface is shown including the texture image (left), and in single-color dis- play (right).
Coloring models via palette
1) Click the Modify 3D-Surface... button (Surface button bar along the upper edge of 3D window).
2) The LUT list is where you determine whether you wish to have the model additionally colored via a lookup table or not. No lookup table is the default.
3) Select Height lines to have height lines shown on the model.
Click the LUT... button to adjust distance, thickness and color of the height lines as well as the color of the surface.
4) Select From file to select a LUT for the model. You load the LUT file desired via the LUT... button. The "...\Lut" directory in your program installation contains a number of predefined files.
The LUT assigns a color to each height value.
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The colors provided by the LUT selected are transparent. This means that, e. g., if the model is a solid color, the model color will blend with the LUT colors.5) Clear the Modulate LUT check box to have the model colored using the colors of the LUT selected only. This cancels the encoding.
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The coloring of the surface has now been height-en- coded (left). Additional height lines, along with grid and calibration data are shown on the model. You can select a LUT for the surface, in this case called "Thermal" (right).
Lighting up your model
1) Click the Modify 3D-Surface... button (Surface button bar along the upper edge of 3D window).
2) Select the Enable light check box to have your model illuminated using an artificial light source.
3) Close the Modify 3D-Surface dialog box.
4) Click the Rendering Settings... button (3-D button bar) along the upper edge of 3D window. Select the Light tab.
5) Define the intensity of this light source in the Intensity field.
The Shadowing field is where you set the reflectivity of the model. The higher the shadowing, the more tangible the model will seem.
Select the color for your light source in the Color field.
6) Select the Show position arrow check box. Reduce the distance in the Dis- tance field until the position arrow comes into view.
Clear the Position with navigation window check box. Select the Fixed in space position.
The entries of the Distance, Rotation X and Rotation Z fields are for moving the light source in relation to the model. The 3D Navigator, on the other hand, is for moving the model in relation to the light source.
7) Close the Rendering Settings dialog box. The artificial light source
makes the model surface look more tangible (left). You can use an arrow to in- dicate the light source’s po- sition and then have the model illuminated from vari- ous angles (right).
Choosing a background color
1) Click the Rendering Settings... button (3-D button bar) along the upper edge of 3D window.
2) Select the Options tab. Doubleclick on the Background field and select the color desired.
Creating 3-D surfaces
Measuring models - Background information