Polygons > Emboss Surface modifies a polygon mesh by embossing an image file onto it.
Region and Image group - controls the loading of an image from the file system and the selection of an embossing area on the polygon mesh.
Image Name and Dimension field - indicates the file name of the loaded image (or "Empty image" if none) and its dimensions in pixels.
Image panel - presents of thumbnail of the loaded image, if any.
Intensity checkbox - causes the image to appear in the Image panel as a single-color "intensity map" so you can predict its effect on the polygon mesh.
Load button - presents the File > Open dialog for browsing the file system and opening any image file.
Save button - presents the File > Save dialog for browsing the file system and saving the current image in Geomagic Displacement Map (.gdm) format.
Modify Image dropdown - specifies an action that will be performed on the loaded image immediately:
Clear Image - Removes the image from the Image window.
Flip Horizontal - Flips the image from side to side.
Flip Vertical - Flips the image from top to bottom.
Flip Orientation - Flips the image from top to bottom and from side to side.
Rotate 90 CW - Rotates the image 90 degrees clockwise.
Rotate 90 CCW - Rotates the image 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Negative Image - Converts the image to a negative image.
Flip Red and Blue - Changes all red to blue and blue to red.
Flip Red and Green - Changes all red to green and green to red.
Region Size group - controls the size of the rectangular grid that designates the embossing region on the object.
Maintain Aspect Ratio checkbox - causes Region Width to vary proportionally with changes to Region Height, and Region Height to vary proportionally with changes to Region Width.
Region Width - sets the width of the rectangular grid that designates the embossing region on the object.
Region Height - sets the height of the rectangular grid that designates the embossing region on the object.
Picking dropdown - specifies a method of picking an embossing region (placing the rectangular grid) on the object.
Low-Left Corner - Use the mouse to click the lower-left corner of the embossing region.
Rectangle: Free - Click and drag the mouse to select an arbitrary rectangle on the polygon mesh.
Rectangle: Image - Click and drag the mouse to select a rectangle on the polygon mesh. The rectangle is automatically restricted to the same aspect ratio as the loaded image. This selected area becomes a perfectly-proportioned embossing area.
Triangles (applicable during the Capture of an existing texture) - Use standard selection tools to select a set of triangles on the polygon mesh. This set of triangles on the object becomes the embossing region (the site of the rectangular grid).
Select button (applicable when the Picking method is Triangles and some triangles have been selected) - places a grid on the Viewing Area exactly where triangles have been selected.
Clear button - clears the rectangular grid from the object in the Viewing Area so that a new embossing location can be designated.
Encode Color dropdown - specifies how to treat the colors in the image during the embossing process and the Capture process.
Grayscale - embossing depth is determined by the intensity of colors in the image.
Red - Only the red elements of the image are used to emboss the polygon mesh.
Green - Only the green elements of the image are used to emboss the polygon mesh.
Blue - Only the blue elements of the image are used to emboss the polygon mesh.
24-bit RGB - is a high-resolution embossing option, useful only when a texture is first Captured in this mode and then replicated by embossing it in this mode.
Offset Mode dropdown - controls the depth on the polygon mesh at which the embossing will appear.
Normal - causes the embossing to appear on the existing surface in the selected region.
Best-Fit Plane - causes the embossing to appear on a flat plane that is a best-fit to the plane in the selected region.
Upper Plane - causes the embossing to appear on a flat plane that is at the most shallow or closest point in the selected region.
Lower Plane - causes the embossing to appear on a flat plane that is at the deepest or furthest point in the selected region.
Empty Color dropdown - specifies how to treat polygons that lie behind the embossing grid but outside the selected region (during embossing and during Capture).
White - During Capture, treat the polygons as white (as if they are not embossed at all). During embossing, do not modify the polygons at all.
Black - During Capture, treat the polygons as black (as if they are not fully "pressed down"). During embossing, emboss these polygons fully.
Capture group - controls the creation of an image based on the texture of an existing polygon mesh.
Capture dropdown - establishes behavior the capture process. Only one parameter shows at a time, but all apply to the capture process.
Image Width and Pixel field - specifies resolution of the captured image.
Outlier Percent and Percentage field (typical percentage is 1) - When all points are ranked in by their distance from the nearest point, the top N percent of points will be excluded from the captured image. The effect is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Capture button - captures the texture of the polygons that lie behind the rectangular grid. The texture appears in the Image window above. Next, save it to a file or apply it to other regions of the polygon mesh.
Displacement group - controls behavior of the embossing process.
Displacement dropdown - Only one parameter appears at a time, but all apply to the embossing process.
Amplitude and Value field - specifies the relative depth of the embossing.
Relative Offset and Value field - specifies the absolute depth of the "zero amplitude".
Fall-Off Factor and Value field - a degree of amplitude reduction near the edges of the image.
Mesh Resolution and Value field - the maximum resolution of the mesh when embossing is complete.
Mesh Tolerance and Value field - A higher value causes smoother transition of amplitudes.
Ignore Empty Color checkbox - specifies whether to
Reset button - reverses the effect of the Apply button (unembosses the polygon mesh) and clears the rectangular grid from the object in the Viewing Area so that a new embossing location can be designated.
OK button - saves all changes to the polygon object in the model manager and closes the dialog.
Cancel button - terminates the dialog without saving any changes to the polygon object.
Apply button - performs the embossing as configured and leaves the dialog open for further work.