To Apply a New Appearance to the Model
1. Click
View and then click the arrow below
Appearances. The appearance gallery opens.
2. Right click on an appearance and select New. The Appearance Editor dialog box opens with a copy of the selected appearance. The appearance gallery closes. A parenthesis is added to the name of the selected appearance. For example, if an appearance with the name ptc-plastic was selected, the new appearance has the name <ptc-plastic1>.
Alternatively, click More Appearances. The Appearance Editor dialog box opens with a copy of the default appearance. The name of the new appearance is ref-color-n, where n is the next available number.
3. If required, change the Name, Keyword and Description.
4. If required, in the Properties tab, change the Class and Sub Class for the appearance.
5. Modify the properties using sliders and boxes based on the Class and Sub Class that you select. The model appearance updates dynamically.
6. Click
Close in the
Appearance Editor to close the dialog box. The new appearance is set as the active appearance. The
Appearances icon on the
View tab changes to the new appearance.
◦ If an object is selected, the new appearance is applied to the object.
◦ If an object is not selected, the
Appearances icon remains selected. Select an object and click
OK in the
Select dialog box. The new appearance is applied to the selected object. Click the middle mouse button to cancel the selection of the active appearance.
◦ The next time you open the appearance gallery, the new appearance is available in the My Appearances palette.
Tip: Creating an Appearance
One of the most common mistakes in defining an appearance is to make the appearance too shiny. Use bold colors in a rendering, but make sure that they are not too shiny. A model that is too shiny may look artificial or like a cartoon. If your image appears artificial, use the Appearance Editor dialog box to tone down the appearance. Reduce the shininess and intensity of the highlight in the Properties tab and reduce the reflection toward the matte end of the scale. You can also use texture maps in the Texture tab to increase the realism of your model.