{"id":3542,"date":"2014-04-30T12:33:25","date_gmt":"2014-04-30T10:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.book.artbeeweb.nl\/?p=3542"},"modified":"2014-05-07T13:56:49","modified_gmt":"2014-05-07T11:56:49","slug":"whats-the-diffuse-component-intended-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.book.artbeeweb.nl\/?p=3542","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Diffuse component intended for?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For short: Diffusion is equivalent to Object Color. This is the place to turn an object simply green, and\/or to assign an image to it for a detailed coloring of the surface. The color swatch then works as a filter: when I assign an image as well as turn the swatch to green, it\u2019s like I\u2019m looking at the image through green glasses or through a sheet of green transparent plastic. A white swatch means: no filtering, and is generally recommended when images are used.<\/p>\n

\"\" makes \"\"<\/p>\n

Clicking the larger area opens the Texture Manager, which offers the option to import an image.<\/p>\n

More in detail<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In nature, objects get their color by scattering back some of the light that falls upon them, and do so in a color-filtered way. So white light shining on a plants leaf will make it look green because the leaf scatters back the green portion out of the white light, at the place and time the light hits the leaf. When the light is pure red without any green in it, then the leaf cannot scatter anything back and hence will look black instead. This \u201cscattering back\u201d is called Diffusion, not to be confused with Reflection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"The amount of light which is received by a \u201cunit of surface\u201d (say 1 cm2<\/sup> or in2<\/sup>) depends on the angle the light makes with the surface. Perpendicular lighting makes high intensities, skew angles make low intensities as the same amount of light has to shine on a larger area.<\/p>\n

Also, the diffuse response to light usually will not be equal in all directions: the response perpendicular to the surface might be stronger than that parallel to it, making objects look darker at skew angles towards the camera. That is: at their edges.<\/p>\n

Both effects are referred to as: shading, in contrast to shadowing which includes blocking the light by other objects, or other parts of the same object. In Poser all this is understood in the Diffuse part of the material definition.<\/p>\n

Intermediate<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The Advanced interface into Poser Material Room offers a Diffuse_Color<\/strong> which makes it the equivalent of Simple interface, and offers a Diffuse_Value<\/strong> next to it which acts as an extra filter. Intensities are reduced by that factor, and it can be driven by a (greyscale) image map as well. This way one can easily make dark stains on a surface. See\u00a0the various articles\u00a0on how both Simple and Advanced interfaces relate<\/a>, and\u00a0on the way Colors and Values work together<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recommendations:<\/p>\n