This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Sub-selecting model faces
You’ve seen that models can consist of a group of sub-models. When an object is modeled this way, it is easy to select the various sub-model components independently. Sometimes you may find that you want to apply different materials to different “parts” of a model, but although they look like separate parts, they weren’t created as separate sub-models.
Assuming that the parts in question look different from the surrounding surfaces on the model, there is a way to apply different materials to different surfaces on a single model. The key is to use the Magic Wand, which works similarly to the Magic Wand tool in Photoshop. When you click a surface with the Magic Wand, Dimension attempts to select the surface up to its “edges.” Let’s try it out.
Double-click the Magic Wand tool.
Set the Selection Size to Tiny.
Press Esc to close the tool options.
Click inside the cup that is on its side on the table. Note that a blue selection boundary appears around the inside area of the cup.
In the Content panel, type plastic into the search field.
Select the Plastic MDL material to apply the white plastic material to the inside surface of the cup.
In the Scene panel, hover over Cup 2 and click the right arrow icon
to reveal the model materials.Note that now Cup 2 has two materials applied: Plastic and Plastic 3. (Depending on what you’ve done previously, your second plastic material might be followed by a numeral other than 3).
Click the back arrow
at the top of the Scene panel to return to the model list.
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Applying materials to the star
Although the Star model in our scene consists of a single model, you can use the Magic Wand tool to select just some of the surfaces of the star and apply different materials to these surfaces.
Select the Star model in the Scene panel.
Choose Camera > Frame Selection to position the camera to give a large view of the Star model.
In the Content panel, type cardboard into the search assets field.
Select the Cardboard SBSAR material to apply it to the star.
Click one of the triangular “sides” of the star with the Magic Wand tool. You’ll see the triangle highlighted in blue to indicate it is selected.
Hold down the Shift key, and click every other facet of the star face. Holding down the Shift key lets you add to the selection each time you click with the Magic Wand tool.
In the Content panel, type paper into the search field.
Select the Diagonal Paper SBSAR material to apply it to the star facets.
In the Scene panel, hover over “Star” and click the right arrow icon
to reveal the model materials.Note that now the Star model has two materials applied: Cardboard and Diagonal Paper.
Click the Camera Bookmarks icon
and select Final view to return to the original camera view.
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Applying materials to the bag
Double-click the Magic Wand tool (keyboard shortcut: W).
Change the Selection size to medium.
Press Esc to close the tool options.
Click on the front of the body of the bag.
In the Content panel, type plastic into the search field.
Select the Plastic With Lattice Pattern MDL material to apply it to the bag.
If you have time, render the scene. Or open and examine the Lesson_06_01_end_render_high.psd file, which I’ve rendered for you.
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