General Usage

LMap is designed to help artists to create such secondary effects like ruddiness and wrinkles. It blends four maps due to deformation of object applied by LBrush modifier and can be assigned to 'Diffuse' as well to all others channels.

Texmap is bound to LBrush modifier automatically if you assign Material with LMap as one of its sub-maps to object LBrush modifier is applied OR when you create LMap in on of texmap slots of Material OR when applying LBrush modifier to object that has LMap already assigned.

Note: LMap evaluates deformation made by LBrush modifier only. If you have some other modifier applied to object like 'Bend' or 'Skin' map will ignore deformation made by these modifiers.

'Maps' rollout

'Deformation Type' - specifies the type of deformation to evaluate. Deformation is evaluated relatively to 'NEUTRAL' phoneme of LBrush modifier. If 'Compression' (default) radio is selected but object is stretched it will be assumed as non-deformed.

'Neutral' Color/Submap correspondent to unreformed state. 'X Deformation' Color/Submap is correspondent to deformation along X axis of object space coordinates. 'Y Deformation' and 'Z Deformation' Colors/Submaps are correspondent to deformation along Y and Z axes of object space.

'Binding' shows current LMap-to-LBrush binding status - 'not bound' if texmap is not bound yet or binding is broken or name of LBrush modifier and name of Node it is bound to.
'Rebind' button - use it if binding was broken by something. Just make sure that material with this map is assigned to the same object as LBrush modifier applied.

'Blend Parameters' rollout

There are that allow to adjust mix amount due to deformation. For example increase increase mix amount for small deformations of decrease for strong ones.

''Use Curve' checkbox - tunes on/off curve adjustment.

Note: default blend parameters strengthen the deformation.

There are two similar groups of parameters for stretch (left group and blue curve) and compression (right group and red curve). Each of groups have 'Max', 'High' and 'Low' spinners.

'Max' spinners - do not influence the curve shape. But defines the range deformation value is mapped to mix range [0; 1]. The smaller max values strengthen the deformation effect.

'Low' spinner - have strong influence when deformation is small. Increasing this value makes LMap very sensitive to small deformations. Below the sample just slightly deformed.
Note: Curve near its center is correspondent to strong deformations while near left and right margins to small ones.

'High' spinner - have strong influence when deformation is strong. Increasing this value makes LBrush less sensitive to strong deformations.

Using as Displacement

Displacement with scanline renderer

Using LMap is 'Displacement' slot of Material is a bit specific. That is because 3ds max scanline renderer evaluates displacement channel in some other way as it done with other channels like 'Diffuse' or 'Bump'.

To enable displacement evaluation within the LMap the checkbox 'Use as Displacement' of 'Extended Parameters' rollout should be checked on. It will store some temporal data in Vertex Color channel.

Note: Do not check 'Use as Displacement' without a need. If your object has 'Vertex Paint' moodier applied its effect will be discarded.

 You will get some displacement if you put LMap to the 'Displacement' slot. Your object in this case mesh will not be subdivided. To get better result you you should apply 'Displace Mesh (WSM)' to you object. (See sample movie)

TIPS (How to use LMap for displacement): Set 'Neutral' color and unused deformation swatches to black. Displacement is very sensitive so change default blend parameters values Low = 0.0, High = 0.6.

Displacement with VRay

There is no need to check on the 'Use as Displacement' checkbox or applying the 'Displace Mesh (WSM)' (See sample movie).