RadioMapper Package

Version 1.2

MAXSCRIPT ENCRYPTED / CONVERTIBLE DEMO (9/30/1998)

HELP TOPICS

1.Short Description
2.The RadioMapper Package
    2.1.RadioMapper Package Overview
    2.2.Registering Radiomapper
3.Step-by-step Workflow
    3.1.Creating and Importing the Radiosity Mesh
    3.2.TexPlode - Simplifying Radiosity Meshes
        3.2.1.TexPlode Overview
        3.2.2.TexPloding Simple Meshes with Planar Segments
        3.2.3.TexPloding Cylinders
        3.2.4.TexPloding Meshes with Partially Curved Segments
    3.3.Using RadioMapper
        3.4.1.RadioMapper Overview
        3.4.2.Starting the RadioMapper Utility
        3.4.3.Setting Bitmap and Material Properties
        3.4.4.Setting UVW Coordinates
        3.4.5.Creating RadioMapper Bitmaps
        3.4.6.Using the Batch Mode 

1. SHORT DESCRIPTION

• The RadioMapper Package includes tools for converting Radiosity Solution data in 3D Studio MAX 2 and higher into Bitmaps (also known as Lightmaps).
• RadioMapper works in conjunction with Kinetix RadioRay(tm) Radiosity Renderer based on the Lightworks Radiosity technology, but can be used also with any other VRML source files providing ColorPerVertex information.
• RadioMapper uses radiosity meshes imported using the VRML Importer of MAX 2.5 or the WorldGrabber(tm) VRML Importer Script 0.4x or higher.
• It lets you use VERY LOW polygon count models with texture map representation of the radiosity solution instead of VERY COMPLEX meshes with VertexColor shading.
• RadioMapper can be useful for fast real-time graphics in simulations, games, VRML worlds etc.
• The current package includes the RadioMapper utility itself, along with the TexPlode mesh-splitting utility, this help file and a sample mesh file.

2. THE RADIOMAPPER PACKAGE

Version 1.2 (9/30/98) Convertible Demo

• This version of the RadioMapper utility will work in Demo Mode until registered.
• In Demo Mode, a red cross will be drawn over the radiosity texture.
• To register, please contact ANIMAPIX GmbH and send the Serial Number displayed in the Registration rollout.
• You will receive a Registration Number based on your MAX hardware lock which will register the utility and remove the Demo Mode limitations.
• The package also includes a free version of the TexPlode utility to help you split complex Radiosity Meshes into simpler geometry.

• Start the RadioMapper Utility - go to Utility/MAXScript/Run Script, select the RadioMapper MSE file
• Select the RadioMapper from the Drop-down list -  the rollouts will open.
• If you are starting RadioMapper for the first time, the MAXScript Listener will report the following:


Initializing RadioMapper...
No INI file found. Using Defaults.
RadioMapper NOT REGISTERED. Switching to DEMO MODE.
MAX R2.5 or higher detected.
 

• In the Title rollout, the last line will read "DEMO MODE"
• Go to the last rollout - "Register RadioMapper"
• The S/N: xxxxxxxx will report the Serial Number calculated using your MAX's hardware lock serial number.
• Please contact ANIMAPIX GmbH and send this Serial Number along with your name and email address.
• You will receive a Registration Number based on the Serial Number and your hardware lock.
• Enter the Registration Number in the REG.# field
• Press the [Register!] button
• A message will appear "RadioMapper was sucessfully registered"
• There will be a new text "REGISTERED" in the Title rollout.
• The registration information is saved in the file "RMSERIAL.INI" in the root directory of the C: disk.
• In case this file is deleted, corrupted, or the disk has changed, you will have to reenter the Registration Number.
• The Registration Number will work only with your copy of 3D Studio MAX.

3. STEP-BY-STEP WORKFLOW

• Set up your MAX scene for Radiosity as described in the RadioRay manuals.
• Process the scene with the Radiosity Processor in the Utility tab.
• Export the resulting solution as Radiosity VRML file (.WRL) using the "File/Export... Radiosity VRML" option of MAX.

• Reset your MAX scene (MAX 2.5 VRML Importer will do this for you if you leave the respective checkbox checked)
• Import the Radiosity VRML (.WRL) file using the VRML Importer built in MAX 2.5, or using the free WorldGrabber script in MAX 2

• If you are using the MAX 2.5 VRML Importer, uncheck the "Turn to 3DS Coordinates" checkbox.
• The imported file consists of very complex Editable Meshes representing the radosity solution calculated by RadioRay.

• The color information is saved in every vertex of the EMesh as "Color-Per-Vertex" (CPV) information.

• After importing, the object property "Vertex Colors" is turned on.
• In a shaded viewport, the colors are interpolated using Gouraud shading and you can see the Radiosity solution in realtime.
• The objects will have default names because the Radiosity VRML Exporter does not save any names.
• In the scene, you might also find a Camera node and (in case of MAX 2.5 VRML Importer), some seperator helpers without geometry which can be deleted.
• Press C to switch to the Camera view.
• The imported mesh looks like this:

WARNING: The MAX 2.5 VRML Importer will set the Clipping Planes of the Camera to "Manual, 0/999999", which will cause errors in the shaded OpenGL display of MAX. You should set the Clipping to Automatic to get correct display. Also, the Environment.../Ambient Light value will be set to a too high value you might wish to correct.

RadioMapper is capable of mapping relatively simple face structures like almost coplanar, cylindrical and spherical sets of faces. You should reduce complexity of some meshes before you can use RadioMapper with them. The next chapter describes the basics of the TexPlode Utility, and some manual methods for editing Radiosity Meshes.

3.2. TEXPLODE - SIMPLIFYING RADIOSITY MESHES
 

• The TexPlode utility does the same as the EditMesh / Explode and Detach functions.
• Other than EditMesh, it does not destroy the CPV information of the source mesh.

TIP: Sometimes you might find it easier to use the EditMesh Modifier or EMesh node functions instead of TexPlode.
To split a single mesh into two parts with correct CPV information, do the following:

• Select the Mesh
• Press the SHIFT key and click on the Mesh with the Move tool.
• Create a Copy of the Mesh.
• Go to Sub-Oobject/Faces in the one copy, select the faces to detach
• Press the Detach button.
• Enter the name prefix for the new object.
• Uncheck the Sub-Object button, press the DEL key to delete the Mesh.
• Select the second mesh, and repeat the same steps, but select the other part to detach.
• Both detached faces will keep their correct CPV info.

• The TexPlode utility scans all face normals in the Mesh and groups them based on an Normal Threshold value.
• Then, it detaches the faces with normals falling in the same group to separate objects.
• The process is automatic, but might take minutes and even hours with very complex meshes (100.000 faces and more).

• RadioRay divides shadow zones and areas with quickly changing light conditions (Shadow/Light) finer than bright regions. To reduce the complexity of the mesh, you might want to detach faces that are in areas not included in the Radiosity solution (like the outside walls of a room illuminated by a Liminaire light source inside) BEFORE processing the scene.
• TexPlode lets you detach just a selection of faces - the utility effectively skips any faces not in the selection. In the case of a single Mesh with 200.000 faces,  of wich 150.000 are on absolutely dark faces out of reach of any light sources or invisible to the camera, TexPlode will have to deal with just 50.000 selected faces.

• The TexPlode Utility has 2 rollouts
• In the "About..." group, you can see the current version of the utility, and the author's homepage address.
• The [Close] button will close the Utility.
• Use the MAXScript Drop-down list to start again if you close it for some reason.
• The "TexPlode Controls" rollout contains all settings required to work with the Utility
• The "Source Mesh" group lets you select a mesh, set a face selection, and start the splitting process.
• The [Select EMesh] pickbutton is used to select the EMesh to work with
• You can click on a Mesh in the viewports, or hit the H key to select by name
• The text in the button will change to [EMesh: Nodename] to indicate the mesh you selected.
• The [Set Selection] button is activated after a correct EMesh has been selected. It brings you in EditMesh/Sub-object/Face mode and lets you select faces to work with.
• The [TEXPLODE MESH] button is activated after a correct EMesh has been selected. It starts the TexPloding process.
• It will read [TEXPLODE SELECTION] when the [Use EMesh Selection] is checked.
• When the [Use EMesh Selection] is checked, a Sub-object/Face selection is used instead of the whole mesh. It will be checked automatically after using the [Set Selection] function.
• The [Combine Selection] checkbutton forces TexPlode to ignore the Normal settings and connect all selected faces to a single mesh. It is unchecked by default.
• The [Delete Old Mesh] checkbutton is checked by default. It will be unchecked after using the [Set Selection] function. When it is checked, the original mesh
• is deleted after the the TexPlode meshes are created. It can be Undone separately using the MAX Undo function after TexPloding.
• The [Create New Meshes] checkbutton is checked by default and should be left as is. It can be unchecked in case you just want to test what Normals will be detected by TexPlode.
• The [Hide New Meshes] checkbutton is unchecked by default. You can check it if you want the newly created meshes to be hidden after creation.
• The "Mesh Options" group defines the Mesh creation settings.
• The "Prefix" field reads "TexPlode" by default and is used as a name prefix for the newly created meshes. You should change it before using TexPlode, sincle it will be also used by RadioMapper as bitname name.
• The "Normal Threshold" value is the angle value used to separate the normals encountered.
• The "Linear Threshold" shows the linear deviation in the normal vercor's coordinates corresponding to the "Normal Threshold" angle.

• TexPlode takes the first face normal encountered
• It compares every other normal with the first normal
• If the angle between the two normals is higher than the "Normal Threshold", the second normal is taken into the list of unique normals.
• The next vectors are compared with all unique normals in the list encountered so far....

• The "MaxScript Memory" group provides information and control over the MAXScript Memory Heap.
• The "Memory Heap" reports the current memory settings.
• The  [Increase by 1MB] button lets you increase the total MAXScript memory.

• MAXScript uses by default only 5,5MB of the system memory.
• Tests with TexPlode showed that this amount is often not enough when working with large meshes.
• TexPlode will increase this amount to 15,5MB when first started.
• The only way to reduce the MAXScript Memory Heap is to restart MAX.

3.2.2. TexPloding Simple Meshes with Planar Segments

In the case of a Box or similar regular meshes like flat walls, floors, ceilings etc., you have to do the following:
 

• Start TexPlode: Go to MAX Utility Tab, open MAXScript, press "Run Script" and select the Texplode file from the menu. Then pick the TexPlode from the scripts drop-down list.
• Press the first button labeled [Select EMesh] - it will turn green. You can now click on the object to texplode, or press the H button to select by name. The Object must be an Editmable Mesh to be texploded, but MUST NOT have CPV information.

• The [TEXPLDOE MESH] button will become available, and the name of the node will be displayed on the "Select EMesh" button.
• Enter the desired Name Prefix in the "Mesh Options" group. Leave all other options to their default settings.
• Press the [TEXPLODE MESH] button.
• The MAXScript Listener window is used to display information about the process. In MAX 2-5, it will open automatically. In MAX 2.0, you will have to make sure it is open before you start texploding.
• TexPlode will report the found Unique Face Normal vectors.
• After scanning the whole mesh, the number of unique Normals found will be reported, and new meshes will be created based upon this information.
• The new meshes will receive CPV information if available, but their "Vertex Colors" properties will NOT be activated so you can distinguish them from any imported or already RadioMapped objects. (See Image)

3.2.3. TexPloding Cylinders

There are two ways to texplode a Cylinder:

Using the Normal Threshold value:

• Select the Cylinder mesh.
• Enter 45,0 in the Normal Threshold filed.
• Start TexPloder
• The Cylinder will be split into 8 parts, 2 of them will be the Capping faces, and 6 the side segments.

• Select one of the Side Segments, go to Modify, press Attach and click the other 5 segments.
• You have 3 parts now - one cylindrical and two planar.
• Apply a Cylindrical UVW Map to the cylindrical part for later RadioMapper usage.

Using the Face Selection option:

• Select the Cylinder Mesh
• Press the Set Selection button - you will be taken to EditMesh Sub-Object/Face Mode

• Right-click the Viewport name and go to Wireframe Mode.
• Make sure the "Ignore Visible Edges" checkbox is checked
• Select the Top Capping of the Cylinder - it turns red
• Rotate the Perspective View to see the Bottom Capping of the Cylinder
• Holding the Control key, select the Bottom - both Top and Bottom should be selected.

• Return to the TexPlode Utility by clicking on the Utility Tab - note that the "Use EMesh Selection" button is checked, and the "Delete Old Mesh" is unchecked now.
• Press the "TEXPLODE SELECTION" button - TexPlode will create two Meshes - one for the Top and one for the Bottom Capping:

• Press the "Set Selection" again - you will go to EditMesh Face editing again.
• From the MAX's Menu, select "Edit/Select Invert" - the side faces of the Cylinder become selected, the Top and Bottom deselected.

• Go back to TexPlode
• Check the [Combine Selections] button.
• (Optional - you can also check the [Delete Old Mesh] button)
• Press the "TEXPLODE SELECTION" button again - a third mesh will be generated from all side faces of the Cylinder.

• Apply a Cylindrical UVW Map to the third part for later RadioMapper usage.

3.2.4. TexPloding Meshes with Partially Curved Segments

• You can use the same techniques described above.
• Use Planar Mapping Coodinates as automatically assigned by RadioMapper to the Curved Segment, or to multiple segments.

• In the case of the Test scene, the floor and the 4 walls should be texploded to planar meshes, and the curved ceiling to a single curved mesh.
• Select the mesh in TexPlode
• Press [Set Selection]
• In the EditMesh / Face mode, enter 15,0 into the "Planar Thresh." field
• Click on the ceiling - it should become selected:

• Go back to TexPlode
• Check the [Combine Selections] checkbutton
• Press the "TEXPLODE SELECTION" button
• A single Curved Ceiling mesh will be created:

• Press [Set Selection] again.
• From the MAX's Menu, select "Edit/Select Invert" - the side Walls become selected, the Curved Ceiling deselected.
• Go back to TexPlode
• UNCHECK [Combine Selections]
• Press the "TEXPLODE SELECTION" button
• 5 planar meshes will be created:

• The whole mesh can be processed using RadioMapper now.

3.3. USING RADIOMAPPER

 3.3.1. RadioMapper Overview
 

• The [Pick SOURCE Node] button is used to select the source Node. You can pick the object with the mouse, or hit the H key to select from a list.
• After picking a node, its name is displayed on the button.
• The [Pick TARGET Node] button lets you set a completely different object as mapping target. This means that you can take a copy of the original object before radiosity, or a completely new object, and apply the radiosity map to it instead to the source radiosity mesh.
• The "Set Source as Target" checkbox is activated by default. The SOURCE object will be automatically set as a TARGET, too.
• The "BatchMap Selection" checkbutton lets you map all selected objects at once without picking them one by one.
• The [RENDER MAP!] button becomes active after selecting a SOURCE and TARGET nodes. It starts the mapping process.
• The "RadioMapper Info" window shows details on the selected nodes.
• The "Map and Material Settings" group lets you configure the output bitmaps.
• The W and H fields let you enter any bitmap size.

• The buttons labeled [64][128][256][512] let you quickly set quadratic 2^n resolutions.

• The [Get Path] button lets you select the path the rendered bitmaps will be saved to.
• The [Save Config.] button lets you save an INI file containing the path, bitmap size, file format, and material settings described bellow. The INI file is loaded on RadioMapper start and used as defaults next time you launch the utility.
• The text field bellow shows the saving path. You can also enter or edit it by hand.
• The "Prefix" field shows the bitmap name prefix based on the name of the  mesh's name. You cannot edit this field.
• The [Save Map] checkbutton is checked by default. You can uncheck it if you want to test-render without generating a file.
• BUGFIX IN VERSION 1.2: If you disable map saving, the [Assign Material] checkbutton will be disabled, and no attempt to assign a material will be made even if [Assign Material] button is checked.
• The drop-down list shows the file type to be saved. Any settings are taken from the MAX's save bitmap "Setup..." settings.
• The [Assign Material] button lets RadioMapper create a new material and assign it to the TARGET node. Uncheck it if you want to keep the exisitng material. The new material uses the rendered bitmap as Diffuse Map, and has also the following settings:
• Diffuse Color - some programs use both the diffuse color and the Bitmap. In MAX, if the Diffuse Map % is bellow 100%, both the Bitmap and the Diffuse color are used.
• The "Diffuse Map %" value defines how many percent of the rendered bitmap to be used in the TARGET material.
• The Self-Illumination is set to 100% by default, since Radiosity-mapped objects are already lit and do not need scene lighting.

• The "UVW Map Options" control the way RadioMapper reacts when a selected object does not have mapping coordinates.
• The [Preview UVW Settings] checkbutton is unchecked by default. When RadioMapper detects a SOURCE node without texture coordinates, it always adds a UVWmap modifier automatically. If the [Preview UVW Settings] button is checked, RadioMapper will also switch to the Modify tab to let you check and modify the gizmo position.
• The [Zoom on Preview] button will work only when the [Preview UVW Settings] button is checked. In this case, RadioMapper will also select the SOURCE node, switch to Perspective mode and use Zoom Extents Selected to display only the SOURCE node in the viewport.

• The "Rendering and Preview" group contains the rendering settings.
• The Drop-down list lets you select the desired rendering method :
• Face Shading uses Gouraud shading and is the default mode.
• The Edge Shading only connects the color vertices  with colored edges on a black background.
• The Vertex Shading renders only the color vertices on a black background.
• The [Color] and [Mono] buttons work as radio buttons and let you render a color or greyscale images.
• The [Optimize Target] checkbutton is checked by default. After assigning the radiosity map to the TARGET, RadioMapper applies an Optimize modifier to it automatically - if the TARGET was identical with the SOURCE, the complex radiosity solution is turned into its original state before radiosity.

• NEW IN VERSION 1.2: The [Correct Pixel] checkbutton is checked by default. It corrects single black pixel artifacts at the left and right edges of the bitmap. You should uncheck it in case the shaded space isn't rectangular and you want to keep the black regions outside of the shaded space. The correction function uses the pixel that is on top of  the wrong pixel, which means that only a single black pixel in the top left or right corner cannot be corrected.
• The [Spherical Map Shading] checkbutton is unchecked by default. You SHOULD check it when rendering maps for Spherical objects with Spherical UVWmap modifiers. This forces RadioMapper to perform special calculations at the left and right bitmap edges and assure seamless mapping where both edges meet.
• The [Close Preview Window] checkbutton is checked by default and lets RadioMapper close the VFB after rendering a bitmap.
• The [Verbose Output] checkbutton is checked by default and enables RadioMapper to report any important events in the MAXScript Listener.
• NEW IN VERSION 1.2 : The [Dynamic Display] checkbutton is now checked by default and is customizable. The value to the right is set to 10 by default and lets RadioMapper update the VFB after every 10% progress. You can change the value up to 50, which will update just once at the middle of the rendering process. Setting it to 0 works like in older versions. Unchecking the button does not update the Preview at all except when ready.

 

 

• Start 3D Studio MAX R2 or higher.
• Go to Utility tab
• Press the MAXScript button
• Press the Run Script button
• Select the RadioMapper MSE file from the load file dialog
• Select RadioMapper from the Drop-down list -  the rollouts will open.
• If you have already registered RadioMapper, the MAXScript Listener will report like:


Initializing RadioMapper...
INI File loaded successfully.
MAX R2.5 or higher detected.

3.3.3. Setting Bitmap and Material Properties
 

• The main purpose of RadioMapper is creating Bitmaps based on the Radiosity solution.
• Use the two value fields to set the desired Width and Height for the new bitmap.
• You can enter any value there, because the resulting Bitmap is scalled to fit the UVW map and thus will always fit the source geometry.
• You can check the mesh size values displayed by the RadioMapper Info window and enter corresponding values.
• Since RadioMapper has been originally developed for use with OpenGL hardware accelerators, there are some OpenGL-specific presets.
• By pressing the corresponding buttons, you can quickly set quadratic resolutions like 64x64, 128x128 etc.
• You should make sure a correct path was set to avoid any error messages.
• Click the [Get Path] button - a directory picker dialog will be displayed.
• Select the directory where you want your bitmaps to be saved.
• The selected path will be displayed in the text field.
• You can optionally enter a valid path by hand in the text field.
• Press the [Save Config.] button to make the currently set path default. It will be used everytime you start RadioMapper in the future.
• Along with the path, the last used bitmap size and format settings will be saved as defaults.

• The [Save Map] button should be checked to get a Bitmap file saved. If you uncheck the button, you will be able to preview the results of the RadioMapper rendering without overwriting existing files.
• The drop-down list with file extensions specifies what file output to be used. Any format settings are taken from the default MAX settings. To cange them, you should press the Render Scene icon, and press the "Files..." button. In the save file dialog, select the respective file extension, and press the "Settings..." button to adjust the settings. You should use the JPG format for Web-based VRML projects, or the TGA, PNG and TIFF formats for any other purposes.
• The [Assign Material] button is checked by default and causes RadioMapper to create a new material using the rendered RadioMapper Bitmap in the Diffuse map slot and the color and percentage settings provided by RadioMapper. In case you have already created a very complex material hierarchy with an old copy of the RadioMapper Bitmap and want to just rerender the Map without affecting the material itself, you should disable the [Assign Material] button. After rerendering the Map, you should also go to the Material Editor and press the Reload button in the Bitmap slot to get the latest version of the map displayed.
• Use the color swatch to define the Diffuse color for the newly created material. Some programs mix the diffuse map with the diffuse color. MAX itself mixes them only when the Diffuse Percentage is lower than 100%. The color is saved to the INI file when the [Save Config.] button is being pressed.
• Use the "Diffuse Map %" value to define how many percents of the RadioMapper bitmap to be used when mixed with the Diffuse color. This value is written to the INI file.
• The "Self-Illumination" value corresponds to the Self-Illum. value in the Material. A material with RadioMapper Radiosity map is already lit and may not be affected by scene lights. This value is saved to the INI file.

3.3.4. Setting UVW Coordinates

A very important step in preparing the geometry for RadioMapper rendering is providing correct mapping coordinates.
These are required for both Source and Target node (if different).
 

• Pick a Mesh to render - RadioMapper will check for existing mapping coordinates automatically when you select a new mesh.
• It will apply a planar UVW Map modifier to the mesh, aligning it to the two largest dimensions of the bounding box.

• RadioMapper will also issue a warning text in the Info window that you have to check the correctness of the assigned mapping.
• Check the [Preview UVW Settings] button before picking the Mesh if you want to control and edit the UVW Map modifier. RadioMapper will bring you into Modify mode when you select the Mesh.
• Check the [Zoom on Preview UVW] button if you want to have the selected mesh zoomed to the viewport.
• In the UVW Map modifier, use the Normal Aling and Fit buttons to correct the planar gizmo alignment and size.
• If the Target node is NOT the Source mesh, you should provide UVW mappings by copying the UVW Map modifier from the Source, or by assigning a new UVW Map modifier.
• If the mesh is a cylinder, sphere, or any other similar mesh that can use Cylindrical or Spherical UVW coordinates, you should set the UVW Map modifier manually before picking the Mesh in RadioMapper - the exisiting mapping coordinates will be respected and no changes will be made.

NEW IN RadioMapper 1.2: In V 1.1, in some cases, the shading algorythm leaves single black pixels at the left or right edge of the texture. This has been fixed in Version 1.2 - when Verbose Output is selected, a message "Pixel [x,y] Corrected." will be displayed, where x and y are the pixel coordinates.

3.3.5. Creating RadioMapper Bitmaps

If you have set your bitmap settings, picked Source (and optionally a Target), you are ready to render now.
 

• The [RENDER MAP!] button starts the rendering process.
• A Virtual Frame Buffer will open to preview the rendering process. To keep it open after rendering, you should uncheck the [Close Preview Window] checkbox.
• If you are rendering in Face Shading or Edge Shading mode, an edge shading image will be calculated first.

• After that, in case of Face Shading, a second pass will shade the image completely.

• The RadioMapper Info window will display the rendering time in its last line.
• If the [Verbose Output] button is active, the following will be displayed in the MAXScript Listener:


RadioMapper Rendering VIFS04
Rendering Time for VIFS04: 22222 ms
Saved Bitmap L:\agd\reactor\VIFS04.tga
Material VIFS04 created.
Node VIFS04 Optimized.
End of Rendering.
=================

• An Optimize modifier is added to the source mesh if the [Optimize Target] checkbutton is active. This assures that a Source Mesh used also as Target Node will have only few polygons.
• If you press the [RENDER MAP!] button again to re-render, any Optimize modifiers will be removed from the Modifier Stack first.
• If you are using MAX R2, the rendered map will be assigned to the Target Mesh, but because of a MAXScript/SDK bug in R2 it will not be displayed in the viewports. You should press the "Show Map in Viewports" manually.
• If you rerender a map after changing mapping coordinates, the new bitmap will look different to the older one, but it will not be updated in the viewports. You should go to the Map slot of the material in the Material Editor and press the [Reload] button to display the new state.
• If the Source and Target Node use Spherical Mapping coordinates, you should make sure the [Spherical Map Shading] checkbutton is active before rendering the map. Checking it forces RadioMapper to do additional calculations to assure seamless spherical textures:

• In this example, the seam is on the bright side of the sphere. It is a good idea to have the seam on the shadow side - you can go to Modify / UVW Map modifier/Sub-Object/Gizmo and rotate it about Z to change seam position.
• In the following screenshot, the Bitmap was rendered with [Spherical Map Shading] turned ON.

• It is a good idea to keep the [Dynamic Display] checkbutton at its default state. 10% gives you 10 updates per map without slowing the rendering much. Lower values will slow down the process without giving you much more visual information.
• You can cancel rendering by pressing the [Cancel] button in the progress bar.

3.3.6. Using the BatchMap Mode

In case you have split your mesh to multiple single planes that would render correctly in RadioMapper without any user input, you can let RadioMapper do the whole work alone. The BatchMap mode takes any number of Source Meshes from a selection set and processes them automatically.
 

• Press the [BatchMap Selection] button.
• RadioMapper will check for selected meshes in the scene.
• If there are no selected nodes, a message will appear in the RadioMapper Info window "No Node Selected."
• RadioMapper will check all selected nodes to assure they are all valid Radiosity Meshes. It is a good idea to set the selection filter to Geometry before selecting meshes for BatchMap processing. If there are invalid types found (like Cameras, Helpers etc.), RadioMapper will display an Error Message:

 
• If some of the selected nodes do not have mapping coordinates, RadioMapper will apply planar UVW Map modifiers and report in the MAXScript Listener window:


RadioMapper BatchMap WARNING: UVW Map applied to Object VIFS05. Please check before Rendering!
 

• If the selection is correct and ready for processing, the RadioMapper Info window will report the number of selected meshes.
• The text on the [RENDER MAP!] button will read [BATCH RENDER MAPS!], and the [Batch Map Selection] button will be checked.
• Press the [BATCH RENDER MAPS!] button to render all maps for all selected objects.
• After the BatchMap rendering of all maps is finished, the RadioMapper Info window will read "BatchMap Finished", the [BatchMap Selection ] button will be unchecked, and the [BATCH RENDER MAPS!] button will become disabled.
• You can cancel BatchMap rendering using the Cancel button of the progress bar.
• In the Test scene, after applying Cylindrical Mapping coordinates to the Cylinder's Side Faces, and Spherical Mapping Coordinates to the Sphere, you can BatchMap all nodes:

• The resulting scene uses maps for all mesh nodes, and has only 372 faces (compare to 9215 in the original radiosity VRML file)
• The scene still has the radiosity CPV information, but it is equal to the original MAX scene.before RadioRay processing.
• You can select single parts of the scene again and re-map again with different bitmap settings. You should always go to Material Editor and click the [Reload] button of the Texture map Bitmap to see the changes in the viewports.