When you are defining materials, you can type values greater than 1 to compensate for transparency and reflectivity.
There are a number of standard ways of defining color properties, from textures and materials to the background color used in a 3D view—it’s all done using the same tools. These tools include the following color controls: color sliders, color chips, color model switcher, and the color editors.
In any property editor where you can define color properties, you are likely to find color sliders. As you use the color sliders, you will notice that each slider immediately updates to show you a gradient of the color you have selected. The gradient shows you what color will result if you move the slider to a new position.
The specific channel corresponding to a slider depends on the color model you selected; for example, if you selected RGB, the sliders correspond to the red, green, and blue channels. The values range between 0 and 1.
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When you are defining materials, you can type values greater than 1 to compensate for transparency and reflectivity. |
To define a color using the color sliders
1. Select the color model that best suits your needs. Below the color chip, you can click on the color model name to toggle between RGB, HLS, and HSV.
2. Do any of the following to set the color:
- Click and drag the sliders to change the strength of each channel independently, or type a numerical value directly in the space provided.
- To move all three sliders at once, hold the Ctrl key down while moving the sliders with the cursor.
- For fine-tuning a single color value, hold down the Shift key while moving the cursor over a color slider bar.
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You can quickly copy a color by clicking a color chip and dragging and dropping it on another color chip in the same property editor or another one. This is especially useful when you want to match ambient or diffuse colors among objects. |
To toggle the display of gamma correction
When a color chip shows a dotted highlight this indicates that the color chip and its associated color sliders are inheriting a global display-only gamma correction defined on the Color Management tab of the Display Preferences [Preference Reference].
• Right-click on the color chip to toggle (on and off) the gamma correction displayed for all corresponding color controls.
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Note that switching the gamma correction off for a particular color widget is only turning it off locally for this widget. The global preference setting remains as is. |
Defining Colors with the Color Editors
When defining or choosing colors, or to choose a color from a 3D view, you can use one of the two color editors: the mini color editor or the full color editor. In the full color editor, you can create and modify colors for your materials and lights. This can be useful for creating specific palettes to apply consistently to a group of materials. The mini color editor is a quick and easy tool for defining a single color. Both editors allow you to use a color picker to pick a color displayed in any 3D view, including Rotoscope views or the Image Clip editor.
Defining a Color Using the Mini Color Editor
1. Click the color chip next to the color sliders in a property editor.
2. The mini color editor (below) opens.
3. When you are done modifying your color, close the color editor to use the color you created.
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Mini Color Editor Controls |
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1 |
Color area |
To select a color: Click in the color area. That color then appears in the color preview box (and in the color box of the property editor), while the current color remains in the current color box to use as a reference. |
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2 |
Slider bar and Numeric entry |
To edit a color: Use the slider bar at the right of the color area or enter a numeric value in the text boxes below it. |
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Pop-up menu > Color Area view modes Pop-up menu > Numeric Entry color models |
Click the “>” button to open the pop-up menu where you can select a color view mode for the color area or switch between the RGB, HLS, and HSV color models. |
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4 |
Pop-up menu > Normalized |
Click the “>” button to open the pop-up menu where you can toggle (on and off) the normalized representation (decimal range [0 - 1]) of color values in the numeric entry boxes. |
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Pop-up menu > Gamma Correction |
Click the “>” button to open the pop-up menu where you can toggle (on and off) the gamma correction display for all color controls in the color editor. See Display Preferences [Preference Reference] for how to set the color management preference. |
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6 |
Color picker |
• Click the color picker button (the eyedropper) and click anywhere in the Softimage window. The color picker takes the color you see on the screen rather than the true color of the objects. This tool can be especially useful when trying to match a color in the Image Clip editor. • If you wish to match a color of an object outside of Softimage, you can load an image file using the Image Clip editor, and select it for viewing. Then you can pick the desired color once the file is visible. |
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7 |
(...) button |
Click on the browse (...) button to open the full color editor, where you can fine-tune and create custom colors. |
Fine-tuning a Color Using the Full Color Editor
1. In the property editor, click a color chip to open the mini color editor.
2. In the mini color editor, click the browse (...) button. The full color editor opens.
To select a color
• Click in the color area. You can define the color area by selecting a color view mode. Each mode offers a variety of spectrums and hues. Once a color is selected, the color appears in the preview color box, while the previous color remains in the current color box to use as a reference.
To modify a color
• Use the slider bar at the right of the color editor or enter a numeric value in any one of the RGB, HSV, or CMYK fields. As a color is modified, its corresponding values are updated.
To pick a color
• Use the color picker as described in To pick a color:.
To toggle the display of gamma correction
• Select the Gamma Correction checkbox to enable the gamma correction display for all color controls in the color editor.
See Display Preferences [Preference Reference] for how to set the color management preference.
Autodesk Softimage v.7.5