Creating 2D Picts

A Pict Object is a 2D picture that is applied to a 2D finite plane. The object is basically a picture on a frame. The Frame is a 2D plane, meaning that it has no depth. If you view it from the side, it disappears.

Using a Pict Object is a quick way of creating very complex-looking objects. The only limitation is that you can view them from only one angle, so the front of the Pict Object must always be facing the camera.

The Alpha channel of the object can be used to create transparencies in the Pict Object.

This object was created using a 2D Pict Object (top). However, if you move the camera, the 2D nature of the object is very obvious (bottom).

A good way of ensuring that your 2D Pict Object never appears distorted is to have it track the camera.

Alpha Channels and Pict Objects

The picture you use as a Pict Object must have an Alpha channel if you need areas of the image to be transparent..

The Alpha channel of your Pict images will allow you to specify visible and invisible portions of your picture texture.

For example, you can clip out a picture's background so that only the main object in the picture is visible. This is what the car image looks like with (top) and without (bottom) an alpha channel applied.

The shadow cast by the image will be in the shape of the picture's Alpha channel, which gives a more realistic look.

To create a Pict Object:

1. Click the Pict Object tool (Leo) in the Create palette to open up the Pictures dialog.
   
   
2. Click on an image square to load an image.
   
   
3. If the image you want is not in the library, either:

• Click the Combination Load button above the first box. The load image dialog appears. Use the dialog controls to locate the picture you want to use and click Open.
  OR
• In another application, copy the picture you want to use to the clipboard. Access the Pictures dialog and click the Paste button.
  OR
• Click on a blank square. The load image dialog appears. Use the dialog controls to locate the picture you want to use and click Open.

4. When you load a new picture into the Pictures dialog, the main image is loaded into the first box, its alpha channel is loaded into the second box, and the combination is loaded into the third. If the image did not have an alpha channel, you can load a mask separately by clicking on the Load button above the second box:
   
   
5. You can invert the alpha channel by clicking the Invert button.
   
   
6. Click the OK icon to exit the dialog. Bryce creates a 2D plane and maps the image onto it as a texture. The Pict Object is created with the same aspect ratio as the original picture.
   
   

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