This dialog allows users to create textures using fractal algorithms that can subsequently be used in the Texture Settings or saved for external use.
The options that are available all the time the dialog is open.
Zoom Reset: Use this to fit the texture preview into the preview window. The mouse wheel will allow zooming in and out on the texture.
Export: This allows the user to save the current texture to disk.
Generate: Rebuilds the texture based on the current settings. Pressing F5 also does the same.
Presets allow the user to store a set of texture settings so that the same texture may be regenerated again. Choose from the preset list and press the load button or double click the item in the list to select that setting. This will also generate a preview of the texture.
Use the delete button to remove a setting.
Bitmap Size: specifies the width and height of the generated texture.
Name: The name of the current settings selected.
Save: Lets the user save the current settings into the preset list. The user must specify a name. If the user has already selected a preset, keeping the name the same will overwrite the setting of the same name with the current settings in the dialog. The dialog will remember the last settings used even if they are not saved.
Noise Type: Each type changes the algorithm that generates textures. The following types are available:
Seamless Tile: When checked, if you place the texture next to itself there will be no discontinuity between the shared edge.
Scale X: The larger the scale the more condensed the features are on the texture.
Scale Y: The larger the scale the more condensed the features are on the texture.
Shift X / Shift Y: To allow the user to create very large seamless textures, whose values at the edges match with the edges of the "neighbouring" tile. You can specify a notional "grid" position. So ( 0,0 ) will match to ( 0,1 ), ( 1,0 ) and so on.
Random Seed: Changing this alters the base value the texture is generated from and therefore alters the generated texture totally.
Displacement: Affects the severity of ridges. Smaller numbers mean smoother textures.
Advanced: Takes the user to the advanced settings for the texture generation.
These settings provide an extra level of control over the generator algorithms. Although a knowledge of Perlin Noise would be useful to understand how these settings work, it is not required to use the dialog.
Frequency: 1/ wavelength of the noise waves.
Persistence: A single number used to specify the amplitude of each frequency.
Octaves: The number of noise waves.
Offset: Determines the strength of the "multifractality".
Ridge Size: ( Ridged MF only ) The larger the number, the more ridges become pronounced.
This specifies the colours used in the current texture. The order of the colours is important. This can be altered using the up / down arrows on the right of the list to move the currently selected colour up or down. Click on the list to select a colour. The selected colour is highlighted with a blue rectangle.
Add: Adds a new colour to the list.
Change: Edits the currently selected colour from the list;
Delete: Removes the currently selected colour from the list.
Check the lighting option if you wish to cast a light on to the texture.
Light Direction: Allows the user to specify the light direction using x, y, z values. This can also be set by the light position box.
Sun Direction: Click on the X, Z box to specify the direction of the light source. Use the Y to specify the height on the conceptual skydome above the texture.
Light Influence: Specifies how strong the light source is. Left is less powerful, right is more.
Colour: Shows the colour of the light source. This can be altered by pressing the ... button to select a new colour.