In this tutorial you will learn how to use the alpha channel of your projected image to "stencil" your image over/under other images on your geometry with the use of a layered shader.

first off build your self a nurbs sphere, make it look some thing like this:

(You don't have to but it will look better!)



Open up your MultiLister and create a BlinnSG (Make sure Shading group is ticked).

Map the color of your Blinn to a "layered texture"



Now map the "color" of your first layer to a "file"



push the "interactive Placement" button Use "cylindrical" as the projection type turn off "wrap" in the Effects dropdown Use the supplied "Flames.iff" file turn the default color to black Turn off "wrap U" and "wrap V" in the place2dTexture node. After you have got your "placeFlames3D" box in the right position, change the texture Quality to High.



And you should get something like this



If you now look at your Shading group in the hypergraph you should have this.

(I recormend renaming your nodes so that it's easier to understand later on)



If you now go to your layered texture node and make another layer, you can't see it!!!

Next we have to tell maya to use the alpha channel of our picture to "over" the flames on to the layer below.

Duplicate the "Proj_Flames" node and rename it "Proj_Flames_A" (A as in alpha:))

We want our "placeFlames3D" to put the alpha in the same place as the original flames, SO this is what we do!

In the HyperGraph select the "placeFlames3D" and middle-mouse drag it onto your "proj_Flames_A" node, this will bring up the connections editor. first select World Inverse Matrix[0] then Placement Matrix .

This tells the "placeFlames3D" to put the alpha in the same place as the flame picture.