Load Texture File command (Decor Menu)

The command invokes a dialog box for picking a .BMP Windows ‘bitmap’ file for texturing the currently selected faces, or the whole object if no faces are selected.  The texture is immediately applied, and is also added to the list of memory resident textures which are seen by using the Select Texture command.

Choose a square Windows bitmap (.BMP) file with dimensions in powers of two.  That is, measured in pixels, the .BMP files must be 16 x 16, 32 x 32, 64 x 64, 128 x 128, 256 x 256, etc --- otherwise a polite error message will result.  The program is supplied with some texture files that reside in the ‘.BMP Files’ folder, immediately beneath the program folder.  Textures are easily captured to a .BMP file with the help of a scanner or digital camera and image processing software like Adobe’s PhotoShop.  They can also be obtained from some Web sites (e.g., www.woodworking.org/WC/woodsampler.html).

There are two texture options --- Solid or Veneer.  To reproduce a bitmaps without distortion the Veneer option should be used.  However, the Solid option yield a more realistic looking solid wood texture.

When loading an existing project that makes use of texture files, Ligno3D Designer must read these files in to memory.  This also occurs when switching from the Plan or Data Views back to the 3D View.  If the texture files can’t be found, L3DD issues a message to this effect and displays the missing texture in a plain white color.  Texture files are normally stored in the .BMP Files folder, but L3DD remembers the pathnames wherever the texture files are located.

Wherever possible, Ligno3D Designer uses dedicated graphics memory to store its memory-resident textures.  Most modern graphics cards have more than enough graphics memory to satisfy the program’s modest needs.  This greatly speeds the rendering of multiply textured objects.

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