Shininess Map

Shininess mapping

Allows you to select a bitmap file or procedural map to use as a shininess map. Assigning a bitmap to a material’s specular color is similar to diffuse mapping, except that the pattern of the map appears only in highlights. To affect where highlights appear, assign a map to the material’s Shininess parameter.

The shininess map determines which areas of the whole surface are more shiny and which areas are less shiny, depending on the intensity of the bitmap. White pixels in the map produce full shininess. Black pixels remove shininess completely, and intermediate values reduce the shininess.

Shininess mapping usually works best when you assign the same map to both Shininess and Shininess Strength. (In the Maps rollout, you can do this by dragging and dropping.)

How To

To assign a shininess map, do one of the following:

• In the Basic Parameters rollout, click the map button to the right of the Shininess parameter.
• Click the Shininess map button in the Maps rollout.

Now choose the bitmap as you would choose a diffuse map.

You assign a map to specular color or to the Shininess Strength parameter in the same overall way.