Surface Controls

Surface controls determine how layers are blended together in the composite. Use these controls to adjust the effect of lights on a layer and to create reflections between layers.

Note: For 2D composites, the Opacity, Transfer Mode, Preserve Alpha, and Stencil Layer options are in the Layer controls.

Opacity

Sets the transparency of a layer. A value of 100 is opaque, while a value of 0 is transparent.

Transfer Mode

Controls how a layer is blended into the composite and how it interacts with layers behind it. See Using Transfer Modes.

For most transfer modes, portions of the layer only take on the transfer mode characteristics when another layer is directly under it, or behind it in 3D space; if there is empty space behind portions of the layer, those portions appear normal.

Preserve Alpha

Enable Preserve Alpha to respect the alpha information of the layers behind the current layer. This option makes the current layer visible only where other layers are not transparent.

Front and Back Visibility

Controls whether a layer is visible from the front, the back, or both sides when the layer (or camera) is rotated. For example, you may want to have a movie layer that rotates 180 degrees on the Y-axis to reveal another movie on its back.

Reflectivity

Controls the extent to which a layer mirrors other layers around it in the composite.

Reflection Mode

Controls the transfer mode used to render the reflections of other layers on the surface of the current layer. The modes used for reflections are the same as those used for transfer modes.

For a description of each mode, see Using Transfer Modes.

Luminosity

Controls the brightness of a layer in relation to the lights in a scene. This option is similar to reflectivity, except that it controls the reflection of light from the layer itself, not the reflection of other layers.

The higher the percentage, the more light is reflected from the layer, and the brighter the layer appears.

Diffuse Level

Controls how light spreads over the surface of a layer. In most cases, the effect of the diffuse level is visible only when lights are placed very close to the surface of a layer.

The higher the percentage, the greater the spread of shading across the surface from nearby lights.

Specular Level

Controls the brightness of the specular highlight (or "hotspot") generated when a light is close to a layer. Each light generates a different specular highlight on the surface of a layer. The appearance of the highlight depends on the glossiness of the surface. A surface with a high glossiness value has small, tight, specular highlights. A surface with low glossiness has highlights that spread out more.

Color Highlights

Displays specular and diffuse highlights on your layer whose colors are derived from the layer or the light(s).

Shading

Displays shading on a layer. Shading can be set globally as well as for each layer. Use the Shading option in the Settings controls to set Shading globally.

Stencil Layer

Uses one layer as a matte for another. For more information, see Using Stencils.