Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

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Layered Texture Tutorial

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by The-Real-Mrhell

In this tutorial you will learn how to use the alpha channel of your projected image to "stencil" your image over/under other images on your geometry with the use of a layered shader. first off build your self a nurbs sphere, make it look some thing like this: (You don't have to but it will look better!)

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Open up your MultiLister and create a BlinnSG (Make sure Shading group is ticked). Map the color of your Blinn to a "layered texture"
Real World Maya 4.5

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (1 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

At The Sea 1.0 TrueGlass 2.5 Car Metallic Paint 2.0 silver shader 1.0 Lathe_Metal 1.0 Aluminum 1.0 Xray 1.0 ChromeGold 3.0 Bloom 1.0 wireData NT 3.0

Now map the "color" of your first layer to a "file"

push the "interactive Placement" button Use "cylindrical" as the projection type turn off "wrap" in the Effects dropdown Use the supplied "Flames.iff" file turn the default color to black Turn off "wrap U" and "wrap V" in the place2dTexture node. After you have got your "placeFlames3D" box in the right position, change the texture Quality to High.

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (2 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

And you should get something like this

If you now look at your Shading group in the hypergraph you should have this. (I recormend renaming your nodes so that it's easier to understand later on)

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (3 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

If you now go to your layered texture node and make another layer, you can't see it!!! Next we have to tell maya to use the alpha channel of our picture to "over" the flames on to the layer below. Duplicate the "Proj_Flames" node and rename it "Proj_Flames_A" (A as in alpha:)) We want our "placeFlames3D" to put the alpha in the same place as the original flames, SO this is what we do! In the HyperGraph select the "placeFlames3D" and middle-mouse drag it onto your "proj_Flames_A" node, this will bring up the connections editor. first select World Inverse Matrix[0] then Placement Matrix . This tells the "placeFlames3D" to put the alpha in the same place as the flame picture.

Select the "Proj_Flames" node and middle-mouse drag it onto the "proj_Flames_A" node this again will bring up the Connections Editor. first select projType then projType Close the connections editor. (this means that when you change the projection type in your "Proj_Flames" node it also changes it in your "Proj_Flames_A" node) By this stage you should have this
http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (4 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

Next we will tell the Alpha node what to project Select the "flames" node and middle-mouse drag it onto the "Proj_Flames_A" node. This again will bring up the Connections Editor. first select outAlpha then imageR Close the connections editor.

(This takes the Alpha channel of the flame picture and places it in the red channel of our new alpha proj node). Next select the "Proj_Flames_A" node and SHIFT middle-mouse drag it on to the "layeredTexture" node. first select OutColorR then Inputs[0].Alpha Close the connections editor.

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (5 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

(This tells the layeredtexture node to use the red channel from the alpha node as an alpha channel for layer "0") You should end up with something like this

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (6 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

But Wait thats not quite right!!!!!!! Change the "default color" for the "proj_Flames_A" node to black.

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (7 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

You should now have this

Here is the same object with a planar projection also layered on

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (8 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

This is what the hypergraph looks like

Add a couple more NURB spheres and a few more images...TA-DA!!! Everyone loves a flam'in race'in skull!!!!

This is what the final hypergraph node looks like...Youch!

http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (9 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM

Maya Tutorials - Wrap Skinning for Bone/Muscle Driven Skin Deformation

The-Real-Mrhell

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http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/layeredtexture/ (10 of 10)10/15/2003 5:57:53 PM