Creating 3D Text with a Bump Map

Part 3: Creating a Bump Map

Now you will add a bump map to your text. You can create the bump map from a procedural texture or you can use a media file. You will use a procedural texture.

1. Press the Quality button in the Composite window and choose High. This will allow you to view the bump map.

2. Select the first keyframe in the Boris track but move the CTI into the effect so that you can see the text. Click the Bump Map tab in the Controls window.

3. Select the checkbox for the Front Face.

4. Make sure that the Source menu is set to Procedural. This is the default setting.

5. Choose Reptilian from the Type menu. Reptilian creates a texture resembling a scaly or spotted animal skin.

6. In this instance, the animal skin makes the text difficult to read. So deselect the Color On checkbox. When this checkbox is deselected, the color values of the underlying material also set the color values of the applied bump map; the bump map only sets the luminance values.

7. Move the CTI to the beginning of the timeline and choose Preview > Preview to RAM. Now the text uses the Reptilian bump map with the gold material.

Saving Effects to the Library Browser

If you like this effect, you may want to save it to the Library Browser. In addition to the hundreds of supplied preset effects, you can save your own effects to the Library Browser to reuse.

1. Choose File > Save Settings Copy To Library (Graffiti) or File > Save Project Copy To Library (RED).

A dialog box automatically navigates to the directory of the last Library Browser category you visited. Alternately, you can save the effect in the folder of your choice. You can also create a new folder by clicking the New Folder button in the dialog box.

2. If you want to create an animated thumbnail preview of the effect, select the Save Preview checkbox.

3. Name your effect and click OK. Windows users must add the appropriate suffix to their settings. Boris RED uses the suffix.red, Boris FX uses the suffix.bfx, and Boris Graffiti uses.grf. Macintosh users don't have to add the suffix, but adding the suffix ensures that your settings work cross-platform.