====== What is a 'material'? ====== A 'material' is a collection of texture and bump-map images that determine the appearance of a [[l3dt:algorithms:cli:land_type|land type]]. The settings of a material may be edited using the [[l3dt:userguide:climates:matedit|material editor]] dialog box, shown below:
{{l3dt:userguide:dialogs:matedit.png}}
===== Texture/bump-map layers ===== The texture for each material is built up from a number of layers. A material only needs to have one layer, but more can be added to provide detail at high texture resolutions. Typical mapterials in L3DT might have three to four texture layers. For a description of the components of a texture/bump-map layer, please consult the [[l3dt:userguide:climates:layeredit|layer editor]] window user-guide. ===== Bump-mapping ===== Bump-mapping is a trick that gives the illusion of detailed terrain geometry. Since trick is used to generate the light map, I've already explained how it works (sort of) over on the [[l3dt:algorithms:lm#bump_mapping|light mapping algoritmhs page]], so I won't repeat it all here. However, far be it from me to deny you a few screenshots to show what bump-mapping actually does. Below left you will see some basic terrain, and below right you see the same terrain with bump-mapping applied. Note how the cliffs appear more detailed due to the bump-mapped lighting.