Edit Texture Surface Dialog (NURBS)

This dialog lets you edit the texture surface for a surface sub-object. It is available when you have chosen User Defined as the sub-object's texture surface method.

• Modify panel > Select a NURBS surface sub-object. > Material Properties rollout > Texture Channels group box > Turn on Gen. Mapping Coords. > Texture Surface group box > Choose User-Defined. > Edit Texture Surface button

A texture surface is associated with the surface sub-object. The texture surface is used to control how materials are mapped. In effect, changing the texture surface stretches or otherwise changes the UV coordinates for the surface, altering the mapping.

The Edit Texture Surface dialog shows a 2D view of the texture surface. You can also edit user-defined texture surfaces directly in 3D viewports, using the Edit Texture Points button. See Material Properties Rollout.

Maps can shift with certain surface approximation methods. This effect is especially noticeable when the surface has animated CVs. You can reduce or eliminate map shifting by changing the mapping method to User Defined.

Tip: Don't use the UVW Map modifier to apply a texture to an animated NURBS surface.

Interface

Toolbar

The toolbar above the surface image provides selection, transform and viewing controls. These controls work the way their analogs do in viewports.

Note: You can animate transforms to the texture surface points.

Select

Selects one or more points. Drag a window to select multiple points or CVs.

Move

Moves the selected points.

Move is a flyout. The alternative buttons constrain texture points to move either vertically or horizontally.

Rotate

Rotates the selected points.

Scale

Scales the selected points. This is a flyout that lets you choose between uniform scale, nonuniform scale in the surface's U dimension, or nonuniform scale in the surface's V dimension.

Pan

Pans the surface view.

Zoom

Zooms in or out on the surface view.

Zoom Window

Zooms to a window you drag on the surface view.

Zoom Extents

Zooms to the extents of the surface.

Lock Selection

Locks the active selection set. You can turn this on so you don't accidentally select other points while you're transforming a selection set.

Preview

When on (the default), your edits are also shown in viewports. In viewports, selected texture points are displayed in red, and the others are displayed in green.

Texture Surface Image

Below the toolbar is a 2D image showing the points of the texture surface. You can edit the texture surface as you edit sub-objects in viewports.

If you right-click while in the image, the popup menu lets you switch between Select, Move, Rotate, and Scale. This is an alternative to using the toolbar.

If your mouse has a middle button, you can use it to pan in this window.

Texture Surface Controls

The controls below the surface image edit the texture surface.

Remove Animation

Removes animation controllers from the selected texture points.

Reset to Defaults

Resets user-defined mapping to the default.

Rebuild

Displays the Rebuild Texture Surface dialog, which rebuilds the texture surface and lets you change the number of CV rows or columns.

Insert Row, Insert Col., Insert Both

Click one of these buttons to insert a row or column of points, or both at once, into the surface. Insertion adds points without moving other rows and columns.

While you refine the surface, the operation is previewed the same way Insert is previewed in 3D viewports.

Delete Row, Delete Col., Delete Both

Click one of these buttons to delete a row or column of points, or both at once.