Making a Leaf

The image of a leaf (leafLARGE.jpg) was first opened in Photoshop and using the magic wand tool set to a tolerance of 60, the outside area of the leaf is then selected. A new layer is created and filled with a black colour.

A new layer is created and filled with white and the layer is placed below the black layer. The leaf image now has a black surround.

A plane is created in 3d max using the standard primitives, increasing the number of length and width segments to 30, enables sufficient vertex points to be created when the editable poly is applied.

The material editor is then selected and an empty material slot clicked on. A small grey square next to the diffuse colour is clicked on and the leafLARGE.jpg bitmap is opened. The image of the leaf now appears mapped in the material slot but a problem exists in that the leaf is mapped on to a white background. The black and white bitmap image of the leaf is now used as a layer mask by selecting the image in the opacity map box. In order to go back to the base level of the material, the go to parent button must be clicked in the material editor, allowing access to the maps tab. The opacity map box is clicked on and the bitmap image of the leaf appears in the material slot with the white background blocked out and filled with black.

To enable the leaf image to be more realistic with an increased texture, a bump map is used. In the maps tab of the parent material, increase the bump amount to 130 and click the none box next to bump. The bitmap is clicked on and the original leaf image is selected.

The material is then applied to the plane by clicking and dragging to the plane from the material preview slot. The map becomes visible in the viewport after clicking the show standard map in viewport chequered box.

The leaf is then shaped by applying an editable poly and soft selection to form the shape of a leaf.