Textures are applied to 3D objects to make them appear more realistic. Textures are composed of components called shaders. There are four shader types: color, reflectivity, transparency, and bump; each shader makes an independent contribution to the overall texture appearance. When you create or edit textures, the shader components are combined or excluded to achieve the desired texture effect.
In addition to textures, realistic models can be enhanced with backgrounds, weather effects, and the use of image files as props. Textures can be associated with surface hatches to give the appearance of a texture in a monochromatic, hidden line rendering. See Hidden Line Rendering with Surface Hatches.
Four shaders contribute to a texture definition. Combining and adjusting these components causes a texture to appear as an image, colored, bumpy, shiny, and/or transparent. The following table defines the shader types:
Shader |
Function |
|
Color |
Defines surface color; this can be a plain, uniform color, or a complex pattern like wood, grass, or marble |
|
Reflectivity |
Defines amount of light reflected by surface; it is dependent on surface texture properties and any light sources |
|
Transparency |
Defines surface transparency or opacity |
|
Bump |
Defines surface irregularities which give the texture a bumpy appearance |
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