How to create a component texture in Aspire in Vectric software | Modeling Tools

Overview

This video demonstrates two workflows for creating texture components in Aspire from grayscale bitmaps: adding a bitmap-derived texture onto an existing model, and importing a height map directly as a new relief. It also covers trimming, scaling, and smoothing the resulting components.

Steps

Example 1: Adding Texture to an Existing Model

1. Open the file containing the existing model (e.g., a basic trout relief) and keep or display the original bitmap used to create the vectors.
2. Create a new layer and name it texture.
3. Ensure the new layer is selected, then select the bitmap.
4. Use Create a component from a selected or imported bitmap to generate a 3D component from the bitmap.
5. Hide the bitmap layer in the Layer Manager. The component tree shows the new relief, named from the original bitmap file.
6. Select the outline vector around the model, then Shift-select the bitmap-derived relief.
7. Use Clear the area of selected component outside the selected vector to trim away excess material.
8. Open Apply smoothing filter to the selected component.
9. Move the smoothing slider to about halfway and click Bake.
10. Close the smoothing form and toggle the texture component visibility to compare before/after.

Example 2: Creating a Texture from an Imported Bitmap

1. Open a new Aspire instance and create a new single-sided job. Set material thickness, zero point, and a high modeling resolution (e.g., Very High). Choose a material and click OK.
2. Click Create a component from a selected or imported bitmap. Since no bitmap is selected, the file dialog opens automatically.
3. Choose a grayscale height map (e.g., moon.tiff) and open it.
4. In the 2D view, select the imported bitmap and position it in the center of the job.
5. Switch to the 3D view to see the generated relief.
6. Select the relief, scale it to fit the job space, and reposition it to show the desired portion.
7. Open Apply smoothing filter to the selected component and adjust the slider to reduce sharp high points.
8. Bake the smoothing and close the form.

Key Points / Warnings

• The component created from a bitmap takes its name from the original bitmap file.
• Use layers to separate the original bitmap from the generated texture component.
• Trimming requires an existing outline vector to define the boundary.
• Smoothing helps remove sharp peaks and makes the texture look more natural; bake the smoothing to make it permanent.
• When importing a bitmap as a texture component directly, the bitmap does not need to remain in the job after the relief is created.
• Height maps with high resolution produce better relief detail but may require scaling to fit the job area.
• Always verify the final component against the base model to ensure the texture aligns correctly.