Hi,

Now you got me going! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

I did a few samples to show how any image can be used as a Reflection Map. In the accompanying image, each example is shown with the Pattern used as a Reflection Map.

I've numbered each example and the font, effects, and settings are shown below, in this message. Each example, or group of examples, uses a different Pattern (some scaled down to show here) for the Reflection Map and one uses a Paper texture with the Pattern Reflection Map. I used the same bold font for all of the examples to show the different effects better than they'd show with a more delicate font. Here's the page that shows the examples:

http://www.pixelalley.com/characterm...examples-1.htm

Example 1. Bauhaus Heavy BT, 24 pt letter "O", color black. Effects menu, Surface Control, Apply Surface Texture:

Using: O Mask
Softness: 13.2
Inverted box unchecked
Amount: 100%
Picture: 100%
Shine 40%
Reflection: 100%
Brightness: 1.15
Conc: 4.00
Exposure: 1.41
Light Color: white
Show Light Icons: box checked
Light Direction: upper left
Display: 0.33

Effects menu, Objects, Create Drop Shadow - default settings

Example 2. Same as Example 1 except letter "A" and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: A Mask
Softness: 3.0
Light Direction: left

Example 3. Same as Example 1 except letter "T" and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: T Mask
Softness: 10.5
Reflection: 59%
Light Direction: left

Example 4, Version 1. Same as Example 1 except letter "H" and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: H Mask
Softness: 6.3
Reflection: 59%
Light Direction: Top

Example 4, Version 2. Same as Example 1 except letter "H", color orange, and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: H Mask
Softness: 14.0
Reflection: 18%

Example 4, Version 3. Same as Example 1 except letter "H", color orange, and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture (applied to a duplicate of Example 4, Version 2 after it was completed.. in other words, Apply Surface Texture was used twice on the same letter "H"):

Using: H Mask
Softness: 14.0
Reflection: 18%
Light Direction: Bottom

Example 4, Version 4. Same as Example 1 except letter "H", color green, and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: Original Luminance
Softness: 4.2
Amount: 200%
Shine: 50%
Reflection: 49%
Conc: 5.00
Exposure: 1.57
Light Direction: not checked

Example 5, Version 1. Same as Example 1 except letter "S", color black, and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: S Mask
Softness: 3.9
Reflection: 49%
Light Direction: not checked

Example 5, Version 2. Same as Example 1 except letter "S:, color black, and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: S Mask
Softness: 8.4
Reflection: 77%
Display: 0.29
Light Direction: not checked

Example 5, Version 3. Same as Example 1 except letter "S", color black, and a few changes in Apply Surface Texture:

Using: Paper (Basic Paper, Scale: 57%)
Softness: 0.0
Inverted: box checked
Amount: 51%
Reflection: 100%
Display: 0.29
Light Direction: not checked

If you'd like to see more examples with brief explanations as to how they were done, take a look other pages in the Character Matters section of my website. One of the examples, named "Thistle" was done with an ornamental character from the font Fleuron and appears in The Painter 6 WOW! Book (thank you, Cher). The arrows on each page were also done in Painter. Since the pages are linked only from one to the next or back to the previous page, it's best to start at the beginning page (7 pages in the section).

http://www.pixelalley.com/characterm...actermatt.html

Hope you have fun with all this, [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Jinny Brown
http://www.pixelalley.com
______________________

[This message was edited by Jinny Brown on December 27, 2000 at 09:42 PM.]