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Custom Materials, Images, and Backdrops

Chief Architect allows you to customize your 3D views by importing your own images. Images can be saved as materials, objects, or backdrops that display in 3D views. For more information about images, see "Pictures, Images, & Movies".

Note: The following steps make use of image files that are not included with the program. You can use image files that are already on your computer or you can create new ones. You can even use the same image file to create a material, an image, and a backdrop. Learning the tools and techniques described is more important than the appearance of the final product.

Creating a Material

Materials are images that are applied to objects. You can create your own materials from an image and save it to the library.

To create a new material and save it to the library
  1. Select Library> Library Browser (or press Ctrl + L) to open the library browser.
  2. Right click on the My Materials category of the Materials library and select New> Material from the contextual menu or select 3D> Materials> Create Material from the main menu.
  3. In the Define Material dialog, on the General tab, give the new material a name.



  4. On the Texture tab, click the Browse button and browse to an image file on your computer.



  5. Select an image and click the Open button to return to the Define Material dialog.
  6. On the Render tab, specify the Shininess and Transparency of the material. A Dull material will most closely resemble a blanket, which is what this material will be used for.
  7. Click OK to add the new material to the My Materials category of the Materials library.

Creating Images

An image saved to the image library is more than just a 2D object, it contains height and width information, can display at a specified elevation, and can contain transparency information.

To create an image and save it to the library
  1. Right click on the My Images category of the Images library and select New> Image from the contextual menu to open the Image Specification dialog. See "Image Specification Dialog".
  2. On the Image tab, click the Browse button and browse to any image on your computer. In this tutorial we will use a dog. You can use any image.



  3. Click Open to return to the Image Specification dialog.
  4. On the Image tab, enter the Height or Width, adjusting one will adjust the other, maintaining the correct proportion. Enter a Height Above Ground value to specify the elevation at which the image appears. A value of 24 inches works well in this case.
  5. Specify the transparency settings on the Transparency tab.
  6. Click OK to close the Image Specification dialog and add the new image to the My Images category in the Images library.

    7. If you would like to turn pictures of your own into images that can be used in Chief Architect, go to www.HomeDesignerSoftware.com to learn more about Picture Painter.

Creating Backdrops

Backdrops are images that appear behind 3D views. With Chief Architect you can take a photo from a site, save it to the library as a backdrop, and display it behind 3D views to create a highly realistic rendering of your model and its surrounding view.

To create a backdrop and save it to the library
  1. Select File> Import> Backdrop and browse to an image on your computer.



  2. Select the image and click Open to add it to My Backdrops.
To apply a backdrop to 3D views
  1. Select 3D> 3D Settings to open the 3D Settings dialog. Go to the Backdrop tab.
  2. Click the Select Backdrop button to open the Select Library Object dialog.
  3. Find and select your backdrop from the My Backdrops library and click OK.



  4. Click OK to close the 3D Settings dialog.
To apply the newly created material and image to the plan
  1. Select the bed in the master bedroom (in floor plan view or 3D view) and open it for specification.
  2. On the Materials tab, select the Blanket, then click the Library Material button. Assign our newly created bedspread that we saved to the Materials library, click OK to close the Select Library Object dialog, then click OK to close the Furniture Specification dialog. See "Using the Materials Tab" if you cannot remember how to do this.
  3. Open the library browser, go to the Images library, and select the image for placement.
  4. Click on the bed to place the image.
  5. Let's see what progress we've made by creating a Render Full Camera view.



Chief Architect
 www.chiefarchitect.com
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