727 CHAPTER Using the 3D Panel to Edit 3D Scenes and Settings IN THIS CHAPTER The 3D panel 3D preferences Render settings Meshes Materials Lights T he 3D panel is one of the most versatile and comprehensive panels in Photoshop. Almost everything you can do with a 3D scene can be done from this one panel, and you can do lots of things with 3D scenes. The panel is so versatile because it is actually four different panels, one each for meshes, materials, and lights, each with unique settings that allow you to make changes to each one of these areas of a 3D scene. The default panel, the 3D {Scene} panel, allows you to access all these settings by selecting dif- ferent layers that represent different aspects of the scene. Feeling overwhelmed yet? Well, you don’t need to be; it’s all very organized. This chapter breaks it down for you. 3D Panel Overview Figure 23.1 shows the 3D panel as it appears when a 3D layer is selected. You can see that it has multiple options. Individual options are covered in detail throughout this chapter, but these are the main areas: l Panel menu: Just like any panel, the 3D panel has a menu that allows you to change your settings and select preferences. l Filter buttons: The filter buttons allow you to toggle through the different objects available in a 3D scene and make changes to them. The 3D scene button shows the meshes, materials, and lights and allows you to make changes to them by selecting their layer. The other three buttons show you meshes, materials, or lights, respectively. 33_584743-ch23.indd 72733_584743-ch23.indd 727 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Part VII: Working with 3D Images 728 l 3D layers: Just like a miniature version of the Layers panel, these layers display the indi- vidual editable items in a 3D scene, respective to the filter that is used to display them. You can select these layers and edit their contents individually. l Manipulation tools: The manipulation tools are a new addition to the 3D panel in CS5. Available no matter which filter is selected, these tools activate the options bar and not only allow you to move the 3D object or camera but also the 3D mesh and any lights that are placed in the scene. A Materials drop button allows you to quickly add or change materials over the entire selected 3D object. l Settings: The settings area of the 3D panel changes dramatically based on which layer is selected. If you select a 3D mesh layer, the settings specify shadow settings, for instance. l View and Create buttons: At the bottom of the 3D panel are buttons that allow you to toggle the view of several aspects of your 3D scene and create new lights. A delete button gives you the option to delete any of the layers contained in your 3D scene. FIGURE 23.1 The 3D panel in scene mode 3D panel menu 3D layers Filter buttons Settings Move tools View and Create buttons 33_584743-ch23.indd 72833_584743-ch23.indd 728 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Chapter 23: Using the 3D Panel to Edit 3D Scenes and Settings 729 3D {Scene} Panel When you click the Whole Scene filter at the top of the 3D panel, you display every option avail- able in your scene. You see the meshes, the materials applied to those meshes, and the lights placed in the scene. If you have a very basic 3D object selected, as shown in Figure 23.1, these lay- ers are manageable and easy to see. The more complicated your object is, the more likely you are to have multiple layers that make it difficult to see and work with individual aspects of your scene, as shown in Figure 23.2. As your object becomes more complicated, it is to your advantage to use the other filters to make working with the different aspects of your object easier. FIGURE 23.2 A complicated 3D object has so many layers in the scene that it is much easier to use the filters to reduce the number of layers displayed. Changing the 3D preferences Using the Whole Scene filter, you can change the render settings of your scene. Before you do that, however, you want to be aware of the 3D preferences that are available. The 3D preferences are accessed by choosing Edit ➪ Preferences ➪ 3D. This opens the 3D category of the Preferences dialog box shown in Figure 23.3 that allows you to make changes to how your 3D object looks. 33_584743-ch23.indd 72933_584743-ch23.indd 729 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Part VII: Working with 3D Images 730 FIGURE 23.3 The 3D preferences Change these options in the Preferences dialog box: l GPU Memory (VRAM): This sets the amount of video memory that Photoshop is allowed to use. 3D files are memory-intensive enough that as you work with them, you may feel like you’ve gone back a decade in the speed and ease of use in Photoshop. If you can afford the memory, give Photoshop the maximum amount. l Interactive Rendering: Two settings are available here: OpenGL, which renders your object relatively quickly and fairly accurately, and Ray Tracer, which is the highest quality rendering you can do. If you want to render shadows, reflections, and refractions, you must use the Ray Tracer setting. It also adds depth to your texture and gives a more realis- tic look than OpenGL. The Ray Tracer setting is incredibly memory-intensive, and even simple movements take time. Your best option is to leave your preferences set to OpenGL until you need to have the Ray Tracer settings on—at the end of a composite creation, for example. Figure 23.4 shows the difference between the OpenGL render and the Ray Tracer. 33_584743-ch23.indd 73033_584743-ch23.indd 730 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Chapter 23: Using the 3D Panel to Edit 3D Scenes and Settings 731 FIGURE 23.4 The first image is rendered using OpenGL. Although it is accurately depicted, it lacks the depth and shadow of the second image, which is rendered using the Ray Tracer setting. Note In order to use the OpenGL render setting, you need to have a video card that supports it. If your video card does not support it, your options default to the Ray Tracer setting. If this is the case, you can change your ren- der settings in the 3D panel so you are not working with a fully rendered object at all times. n l 3D Overlays: These options simply allow you to set the colors in which your 3D objects and meshes appear. l Ground Plane: This option allows you to set the size and color of your ground plane. The ground plane in your scene simulates the ground in your view, setting perspective and catching shadows. The ground plane is discussed in greater detail later in this chapter. l Ray Tracer: If you’ve chosen to render your objects using the Ray Tracer setting, you can set the quality of the rendering here. The merits are obvious; you can render more quickly with a lower quality, but it doesn’t look as good. If you can’t use OpenGL, setting this quality to 1 or 2 until you are ready to print or collapse your file is a good option for speeding up your work. l 3D File Loading: These options allow you to set initial limits on the lights and textures that are allowed to be active on an object that you are opening. Photoshop doesn’t remove extra lights and textures; they simply are turned off. They can be activated again using the 3D panel. Render settings When you have the Whole Scene filter selected, the layers in the 3D panel are headed by a layer labeled Scene. With this layer selected, the render settings are active in the settings area of the 3D panel, as shown in Figure 23.5. These settings can be adjusted so you can view your 3D scene at varying qualities and speed up your processing time. As with all the best options in Photoshop, a preset menu contains several options as well as the ability to customize the settings just the way you want them. 33_584743-ch23.indd 73133_584743-ch23.indd 731 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Part VII: Working with 3D Images 732 FIGURE 23.5 The render settings are active when the scene layer is selected. Render presets Whenever you bring or even create a new 3D object from the Photoshop presets, the render set- tings are already custom settings based on the settings that were specified previously for that object. Most of the time, these settings are higher quality settings, giving you the best preview of the object but using a high amount of computer resources. While you are positioning objects and creating scenes, you may not want the wait time that previewing the finished object can generate. Choosing a less-complicated render saves you time. I wish I could tell you that the render presets were in order from the least complicated to the most, but the list is in alphabetical order, as you can see in Figure 23.6. Most of the render settings are somewhat self-explanatory, and clicking each gives you a preview. The simplest setting, Bounding Box, creates a bounding box around the area of your 3D object and turns off the visibility of the object itself. This is the fastest and easiest render, giving you maximum capability when it comes to movement. Other settings fall in the middle, rendering your object as a wireframe or shaded object. Figure 23.7 shows an example of three render settings. Note It goes without saying that the more powerful your computer is, the better you can work with 3D objects that have been rendered at higher settings. The render setting you use is based on your computer power as well as your personal preference for viewing your objects. n 33_584743-ch23.indd 73233_584743-ch23.indd 732 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Chapter 23: Using the 3D Panel to Edit 3D Scenes and Settings 733 FIGURE 23.6 The render setting presets FIGURE 23.7 The more complicated the render, the more time it takes to manipulate and edit it. Bounding box Line illustration Paint mask Edit render settings Click the Edit button to the right of the drop-down list of render presets, and the 3D Render Settings dialog box opens, as you can see in Figure 23.8. These options allow you to customize how your 3D objects are rendered so you can create the perfect balance between processing speed and best view. 33_584743-ch23.indd 73333_584743-ch23.indd 733 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Part VII: Working with 3D Images 734 FIGURE 23.8 The 3D Render Settings dialog box Most of these options can be selected in conjunction with one another, depending on the settings you choose. For instance, you can create a paint mask and check the edges option to show the wireframe to create a shaded wireframe rendering. These are the main options available in the 3D Render Settings dialog box: l Face options: These settings determine how the surfaces on your 3D model appear. You can choose from several face styles that include everything from the texture that has been placed on the model to a simple paint mask. If you choose unlit texture, you can use the texture option to change the way the texture looks. Other options are available with other face styles as well as if you are rendering ray traced objects. l Edge options: These allow you to adjust the look of the edges of your object. You can make them bolder or add more edges by increasing the crease threshold. A basic wire- frame is one of the best options for viewing your object efficiently while manipulating it. l Vertex options: Vertices are the points made by the junctions of the polygons that make up the frame of the 3D model. The Vertex options allow you to view and make changes to the way these points appear on your object. l Volume options: If your 3D object is a volume created from DICOM images, this option allows you to make changes in the way it can be viewed. l Stereo options: If you want to render your 3D object so it can be viewed with 3D glasses, choose this option to set the stereo options. 33_584743-ch23.indd 73433_584743-ch23.indd 734 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Chapter 23: Using the 3D Panel to Edit 3D Scenes and Settings 735 Quality Again you are given the opportunity to improve the quality of your rendering by sacrificing pro- cessing time. This option is set by default to render your 3D object in Interactive (painting) mode so that as you manipulate and edit your objects, you are working with them in real time rather than waiting after each move for your object to be re-rendered. When you are finished creating, manipulating, and adding texture to your object, you want the final draft to be rendered in the highest quality possible. At this point, choose Ray Traced Final Draft from the Quality drop-down menu. This process takes several minutes at best, so be sure you are ready to complete the final rendering. Paint On The Paint On option allows you to choose a texture to use to paint on using the 3D paint mode. If you choose a texture that has not been created for your object, Photoshop creates it for you. Painting on these textures doesn’t actually leave painted pixels behind; it just makes changes to the texture. When you paint on a glossy texture, for instance, you make changes to the glossiness of your 3D object. Global Ambient Color Double-click the Global Ambient Color swatch to change the color of the reflective surfaces in your 3D scene. This light doesn’t cast any direct light or shadows, but it can add a cool or warm tone to your scene. Creating cross sections Creating a cross section is another very versatile option found in the scene settings within the 3D panel. A cross section is created by cutting into a 3D object and looking into it. Cross sections have several varied uses. Cross sections are great for use with architectural renderings. A cross section allows you to see inside the models of 3D buildings. You can see in Figure 23.9 that I cut the roof off this simple room to show you the inside of it. You can see that this could be a very valuable application for looking at or editing more complex buildings or furnished rooms. You also can use cross sections to cut down any 3D model for use in a composite. You can inter- sect a cross-sectioned object with another object or image, or you can just use the cut down ver- sion of an object. By using two instances of the same 3D model, you can open a previously solid object, such as a box, by creating matching cross sections. Select the Cross Section box in the Render Settings area of the 3D panel to get started. Your 3D object is cut exactly in half along the X axis, as shown in Figure 23.10. Using the settings, you can create a cross section on any plane, position it anywhere on your object, and tilt it from side to side or back to front. 33_584743-ch23.indd 73533_584743-ch23.indd 735 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM . them by selecting their layer. The other three buttons show you meshes, materials, or lights, respectively. 33_584743-ch23.indd 72733_584743-ch23.indd 727 5/3/10 10:44 AM5/3/10 10:44 AM Part. AM Part VII: Working with 3D Images 730 FIGURE 23.3 The 3D preferences Change these options in the Preferences dialog box: l GPU Memory (VRAM): This sets the amount of video memory that Photoshop. may feel like you’ve gone back a decade in the speed and ease of use in Photoshop. If you can afford the memory, give Photoshop the maximum amount. l Interactive Rendering: Two settings are