With Presenter 3D's new real-time shader and Explore, one of the most complicated tasks in 3D modeling is as easy as just clicking on the image that looks the best. VIDI developed this ground-breaking improvement in shader technology to allows artists to make adjustments to shading parameters and see the effect on the final rendered surface in real time.
In Explore, you are shown a grid of ray traced balls with differing surface parameters. In the center the current value is shown. By clicking on one of the other balls, its values becomes the current version, and moves to the center. In other words, to use Explore, click on the picture that is closest to the version you want until you're happy with how it looks.
Where Explore is really invaluable though is in trading off the complicated parameters used in 3D modeling against each other. For example, changing the specular value would also affect the diffuse value. To handle this, just set the popup menu in the upper right hand corner, shown in Fig. 2, to "Diffuse vs. Specular". Explore will then show you all the different results of changing the diffuse and specular components. Pick the one that looks right to you, and you're done! To get that glass object to look just right? Choose "Reflection vs. Transparency" and select the desired "glassy" look.
"While using the Explore function, I was able to narrow down the surface attributes far faster than with any other program", says Eric King. "It enabled me to spot alternatives that I just would not have thought to use. The fact that all updates are instantaneous on my 8500/120 was just amazing."
Ronald Davis, a fine artist whose paintings are in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Tate Gallery in London, and many others says, "Presenter 3D's new and intuitive graphical surface attribute selection tools enable me to select the virtual color interaction, reflection, diffuse shading, specular highlites, inner glow, transparency, and refraction for every surface in my digital paintings. It gives me a far easier and very accurate way to define a series of rendered options for all surface attributes. It does this without the trial and error metaphor found in other 3D software." Check the Explore Tech Report to see the application of realtime surface editing.