Recreating .t3d file materials

If you've ever downloaded a Swift3D file with a cool bitmap material in it, you may not be aware that it doesn't automatically add it to the material library. Sure, you can click on the objects material and edit it - but you can't save it. Wouldn't it be great if there were a simple way to get the image out of that bitmap material and be able to add it to your library for use in other projects? Well you can and it's not as hard as you think! This tutorial describes the process of recreating materials from .t3d files when the material (.t3m) file itself has not been supplied. So how do we do it?

 Step 1 - Setting up the workspace

With the desired .t3d file open, we will set up the workspace to make this a fast and simple process. Create a camera and zoom in to a section of the object that has the bitmap material you want to recreate on it. This will come in handy when we are ready to go!

Set your left editor window to front view. Now reset the view (in case the file front view was moved from the default settings) by clicking the bottom two buttons next to the trackball below the window. This will ensure you are absolutely square and centered in that view.

 Step 2 - Creating the work surface

Now for the easy part. Create an extrusion one full unit in size (the thicker lines on the graph represent this unit) starting the extrusion from 0,0. This is important. It must be one full unit square and start from the centre so that the bitmap material aligns correctly on it.

Go back to the main editor and scale the extrusion to fit completely within the front view window. Do not resize it as that will affect the bitmap when applied to it. If there are objects other than the extrusion in the view - drag them out of view.

 Step 3 - Lighting the work surface

Delete all the lights that may be on the stage at the moment. Both trackball lighting and lights that may have been inserted into the scene. When you have done that, create one new Free Point Light (from the top menu - not the Trackball) and place it squarely in front of the extrusion as seen in the image to the left. Untick the Specular box from the Light Options of the light found on the left side properties panel when you highlight the light (it will turn red).

 Step 4 - Creating a standard material

Set your right window to the camera you created and click the object to select it (I have selected it in the left window so you can see what I am doing in the image to the left). Select Material from the object menu list on the left to reveal the objects material panel below it. If you can't see the Material option it is because the object must be a group, so ungroup until you get a single object that reveals the Material properties.

Double click on the little Material image you can now see and the Material Editor opens. We will now make everything default. If these settings are not the same then change to match: Make the Ambient color white. Set Reflection color to black. Turn down the Highlight Strength and Size if they have been turned up above default settings. Set Wrap to Planar Solid. Reset the Scale by unticking and then reticking the scale box but don't touch the slider. When you have done these, hit OK and exit the Material Editor.

Drag and drop the image in the little Material preview box (the one you just double clicked in the previous step) onto your extrusion (left click and drag). Now go to your Preview and Export Editor and do a Raster render as a .bmp file to see the result. Export the bitmap! Now it is ready to import via the Material Editor so go ahead and create the new bitmap material.

 Step 5 - Completing the recreation

With the newly created bitmap material in your library you can now apply it to your own files!