Cricut Crafty Video with Melody Lane

Chain-Link Fence Using 3D Opacity Maps

For a complex form such as a chain link, begin by offsetting the image in only one direction, working out the seams along that axis and then offsetting in the other direction. Now comes the tricky part: Seams cause big problems for filters, so the trick is to work those seams out. Sometimes the trick is to take selections of the image and move them.

Creating Maps For Organic Shapes Through Grids

Regular texturing works fine for fairly simple shapes. The straight-on method is easy and offers a great deal of control. However, sometimes the forms to be textured are much more complex with many more variations across the face of the surface.

Increase The Feel Of Rusted Metal Of A 3D Object

We can further heighten the feel of rusted metal of a 3D object by augmenting the specular map so that parts of the nose have high specular areas of gloss, while the rust section is very flat. To do this, use the same texture map that was used for the reflective map, and place it within your specular channel. In the same way that the black areas show nonreflective surfaces in the reflective channel, these black spots show nonspecular or flat matte areas when placed within the specular channel.

Using A Greyscale Image To Define The 3D Texture

A grayscale image can serve as the basis for many maps that will help define the texture. Save a copy of this new grayscale image as “RustBump.tif,” and import this new map into the bump channel of the rust texture within your 3D application.

Creating A Chain-Link Fence Using 3D Textures

Textures can be an incredibly powerful modeling tool. This may seem a little weird, but consider the rendering of a rendering of a chain-link fence created almost entirely from textures. To model the chain links intertwining would be a large task in itself; to model hundreds and thousands of these intertwining links would be a nightmare