attributes menu

add diffuse


Purpose
To add a diffuse attribute to the currently active part of the tree.

Usage
Click the add diffuse button to activate it. A diffuse attribute will be added and will be displayed in the attributes data input box as the currently active attribute.

Comments
Diffuse consists of a color and an ambient. The diffuse color defines the color of those parts of an object that are lit by a light source, while the diffuse ambient defines the color of parts not lit. However, the result of the ambient color depends on the values of the diffuse color; only those color components of the ambient color (red, green, and blue) that are contained in the diffuse color are visible.

Example:

diffuse color (0.0,1.0,1.0)
ambient color (0.5,0.5,0.0)
Here, the ambient color value 0.5 for red will have no effect, since this color is not contained in the diffuse color. The ambient color value 0.5 for green will result in an ambient of 50 percent of the corresponding diffuse color value 1.0. Blue is absent. Assigning the same values for diffuse and ambient will result in an object that appears to be lit from all sides.

The diffuse set of attributes consists of diffuse intensity, diffuse color, and ambient color. The diffuse set of attributes determines the basic color and shading of an object. It is possible to add more than one diffuse attribute. If you wish to modify an existing diffuse attribute, use the previous and next buttons to make the required set of attributes the currently active one. Then click the appropriate data input box to activate that data. You can then enter the new value.