Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 17 Materials in AutoCAD 463 When you specify Checker as the map for a property, the texture editor displays the properties for the map, Figure 17-25. In the Appearance category, the Color 1 and Color 2 properties set the color of the checkers. The button to the right of each property allows you to specify an image or texture for the checker. For example, you may add a texture map to the Color 1 property and a noise map to the Color 2 property. The possi- bilities are endless. The Soften property is used to blur the edges between the checkers. To change the setting, enter a value in the text box or use the up and down arrows. A value of 0.00 creates sharp edges between the checkers. The maximum setting of 5.00 produces edges that are very blurred. The properties in the Transforms, Position, Scale, and Repeat categories are the same as described for an image map. Refer to the Image section for details on these properties. Gradient A gradient map is a texture map that allows you to create a material blending colors in different patterns. This is similar to creating a gradient using the HATCH command’s Gradient option. When you specify Gradient as the map for a property, the texture editor displays the properties for the map, Figure 17-26. The gradient is represented in the Appearance category with three nodes at the bottom edge of the ramp. Each node represents a different color in the ramp. By default, the left node (node 1) is black, the middle node (node 2) is gray, and the right node (node 3) is white. The middle node can be moved left or right, as discussed later in this section, to change where the color transitions. There must be at least three nodes, but you are not limited to three nodes. Picking anywhere in the ramp creates a new node. Selecting a node by picking on it changes the properties directly below the ramp to the settings for that node. The Color property sets the color of the selected node. Blur the edges if needed Set the position and rotation Set how the map is repeated Set the scale (size) Set the colors Figure 17-25. Adjusting the properties of a checker map.