Vector_Map - superclass: textureMap; super-superclass:material - 31:0 - classID: #(-1817630903, 1804420874)

The Vector_Map TextureMap available in 3ds Max 2014 and higher can load and generate a rasterized bitmap representation of several vector graphics formats, including the open SVG and SVGZ, Autodesk's AutoCAD .PAT, and Adobe's AI and PDF formats.

The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) XML format, an open format developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, allows the description of geometry shapes, images and text that are resolution-independent and can produce a bitmap of arbitrary size without storing actual texels on disk. The benefit of this approach is high quality graphics and text at any resolution and very small source description file sizes.

SVG files can be created by hand or by dedicated tools, downloaded from the Web, or generated automatically using MAXScript. In addition, the 3ds Max implementation of the Vector_Map TextureMap provides the ability to embed MAXScript function calls inside the SVG XML source file.

To learn more about the basics of creating SVG files and the integration of the Vector_Map with MAXScript, please see the topic VectorMap TextureMap and MAXScript.

Constructors:

Vector_Map... 
VectorMap...

Properties:

Coordinates rollout

<Vector_Map>.coords     StandardUVGen    default: MtlBase:Placement   --  maxObject; Coordinates; SubAnim

See UVGenClass for the StandardUVGen properties.

Parameters rollout

<Vector_Map>.vectorfile     String    default: ""   --  filename

Get/set the value of the "Vector File" button.

This is the file name of the vector file used as the source of the Scalable Vector Graphics map generation.

Supported file formats include:

.SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics XML format. When saved from a 3rd party editor like tje open source Inkscape, the file must be saved as Plain SVG.

.SVGZ - Compressed Scalable Vector Graphics format

.AI - Adobe Illustrator format - AI9 to SC5. Files must be saved with "Create PDF Compatible File" option checked.

.PAT - Autodesk AutoCAD Pattern file format

.PDF - Adobe Portable Document Format

Filtering group of controls

<Vector_Map>.filter     BooleanClass    default: true   --  boolean

Get/set the state of the "Filter Result" checkbox.

When set to True (default), the rasterized bitmap produced from the vector graphics definition will be filtered.

<Vector_Map>.mipmap     BooleanClass    default: true   --  boolean

Get/set the state of the "Mip Mapping" checkbox.

When set to True (default), multiple resolutions of the texture map will be rasterized to allow for better texture filtering at render time.

Cropping / Placement group of controls

<Vector_Map>.applycrop     BooleanClass    default: false   --  boolean

Get/set the state of the "Apply" checkbox.

When set to True, the resulting rasterized bitmap will be cropped or placed according to the parameters below.

When set to False (default), no cropping or placement will be performed.

<Vector_Map>.croporplace     Integer    default: 0   --  integer

Get/set the state of the "Crop/Place" radius buttons.

Possible values are

0 - Crop (default)

1 - Place

<Vector_Map>.crop_u     Float    default: 0.0   --  animatable; float; Clip_U_Offset

Get/set the value of the "U" spinner.

It defines the horizontal component of the upper left corner of the region to be affected, expressed in normalized units between 0.0 and 1.0.

<Vector_Map>.crop_v     Float    default: 0.0   --  animatable; float; Clip_V_Offset

Get/set the value of the "V" spinner.

It defines the vertical component of the upper left corner of the region to be affected, expressed in normalized units between 0.0 and 1.0.

<Vector_Map>.crop_w     Float    default: 1.0   --  animatable; float; Clip_U_Width

Get/set the value of the "W" spinner.

It defines the Width of the region to be affected, expressed in normalized units between 0.0 and 1.0.

<Vector_Map>.crop_h     Float    default: 1.0   --  animatable; float; Clip_V_Width

Get/set the value of the "H" spinner.

It defines the Height of the region to be affected, expressed in normalized units between 0.0 and 1.0.

<Vector_Map>.Jitter     BooleanClass    default: false   --  boolean

Get/set the state of the "Jitter Placement" checkbox.

<Vector_Map>.jitteramt     Float    default: 1.0   --  animatable; float; Jitter_Placement

Get/set the value of the "Jitter Placement" spinner.

Mono Channel Output group of controls

<Vector_Map>.monoOutput     Integer    default: 1   --  integer

Get/set the state of the "Mono Channel Output" radio buttons.

Possible values are:

0 - RGB Intensity

1 - Alpha (default)

RGB Channel Output group of controls

<Vector_Map>.rgbOutput     Integer    default: 0   --  integer

Get/set the state of the "RGB Channel Output" radio buttons.

Possible values are:

0 - RGB (default)

1 - Alpha as Gray

Alpha Source group of controls

<Vector_Map>.alphasource     Integer    default: 2   --  integer; Alpha_Source

Get/set the state of the "Alpha Source" radio buttons.

Possible values are:

0 - Image Alpha

1 - RGB Intensity

2 - None (Opaque) (default)

Virtual Resolution group of controls

<Vector_Map>.restype     Integer    default: 0 --  integer;

Get/set the state of the "Virtual Resolution" radio buttons. Available in 3ds Max 2018 and higher.

Possible values are:

0 - Finite (default)

1 - Infinite

<Vector_Map>.finiteresolution     Integer    default: 10000   --  integer;

Get/set the value of the Finite spinner. Available in 3ds Max 2018 and higher.

Pattern Parameters rollout

<Vector_Map>.patternname     Integer    default: 0   --  integer

Get/set the selection of the "Pattern" drop-down list available if the .vectorfile property points at a .PAT file.

<Vector_Map>.patternrepeat     Float    default: 1.0   --  animatable; float; Pattern_Repeat

Get/set the value of the "Repeat" spinner.

It controls the repeating of the pattern.

Use Repeat instead of tiling since most patterns do not tile nicely.

Note that this parameter is animatable.

<Vector_Map>.linewidth     Float    default: 1.0   --  animatable; float; Line_Width

Get/set the value of the "Line Width" spinner.

<Vector_Map>.linecolor     Color    default: (color 0 0 0)   --  animatable; RGB color; Line_Color; Controller Scaling: ([1,1,1] : (color 255 255 255)))

Get/set the color of the "Line Color" value.

<Vector_Map>.backcolor     Color    default: (color 255 255 255)   --  animatable; RGB color; Background_Color; Controller Scaling: ([1,1,1] : (color 255 255 255)))

Get/set the color of the "Background" value.

<Vector_Map>.linecap     Integer    default: 0   --  integer; Line_Cap

Get/set the state of the "Line Cap" radio buttons.

Possible values are:

0 - Round (default)

1 - Square

2 - None

Adobe Illustrator / PDF Parameters rollout

<Vector_Map>.pdf_page     Float    default: 1.0   --  animatable; float; PDF_Page_Number

Get/set the value of the "Page" spinner.

It is animatable, allowing to scrolling through a PDF document when the .continuous property is set to True.

<Vector_Map>.continous     BooleanClass    default: false   --  boolean

Get/set the state of the "Continuous" checkbox.

When True, the page transitions will be smooth.

When False (default), the .pdf_page value will be interpreted as an integer and only whole pages will be displayed.

Background group of controls

<Vector_Map>.transparent     BooleanClass    default: true   --  boolean

Get/set the state of the "Transparent" checkbox.

When set to True (default), the page's background will be considered transparent.

When set to False, the .pagecolor property will be used as the background color.

<Vector_Map>.pagecolor     Color    default: (color 255 255 255)   --  animatable; RGB color; Page_Color; Controller Scaling: ([1,1,1] : (color 255 255 255))

Get/set the value of the "Page Color" picker.

Used when the .transparent property is set to False.

Page Transition group of controls

<Vector_Map>.transition_mode     Integer    default: 0   --  integer; 

Get/set the selection of the "Mode" drop-down list.

Possible values are:

0 - Blend

1 - Scroll

2 - Move In

3 - Move Out

<Vector_Map>.transitiondir     Integer    default: 0   --  animatable; integer; Transition_Direction

Get/set the transition direction controls selection used when .transition_mode is greater than 0 (Scrolling Or Moving In or Out).

Possible values are:

0 - Up

1 - Right-Up

2 - Right

3 - Right-Down

4 - Down

5 - Left-Down

6 - Left

7 - Left-Up

<Vector_Map>.preview     BooleanClass    default: false   --  boolean

Get/set the state of the "Preview" checkbox.

Advanced Parameters rollout

<Vector_Map>.hwbitmapsize     Integer    default: 256   --  integer

Get/set the value of the "HW Bitmap Size" slider.

Possible values are in the range from 256 to 4096.

This property controls the bitmap resolution used for hardware rendering (iRay, Quicksilver). It does NOT apply to viewport bitmap display.

<Vector_Map>.memlimit     Integer    default: 0   --  integer

This property is unused and does nothing.

Output rollout

<Vector_Map>.output     StandardTextureOutput    default: MtlBase:Output   --  maxObject; SubAnim

See TexOutputClass for the StandardTextureOutput properties.

Vector_Map interfaces:

Interface: VectorMap

Methods:

<void>Reload()

Equivalent to pressing the "Reload" button in the Parameters rollout of the VectorMap.

Causes the reloading of the source file definition and refreshing of the texture.

<void>ViewImage()

Equivalent to pressing the "View Image" button in the Cropping/Placement group of controls inside the Parameters rollout of the VectorMap.

Causes the display of the rasterized bitmap representation of the vector map in a "Specify Cropping/Placement" window.

<void>Refresh()

Refreshes the map without reloading the source.

<boolean>SetSvgString <string>fnSetSvgString

Gets the Vector Map's definition via a MAXScript String value instead of an external text file.

Use MAXScript to build an SVG XML description into a String variable, then pass this String as argument to this function.

Interface: IMtlRender_Compability_MtlBase

Properties:

Methods:

Actions: