Creates a sphere that reflects its surroundings.
The sphere can be heavily customized with separate layers for the optional surface texture and environment map.
- Preset: Choose from one of the preconfigured options in this menu to automatically apply its settings to the effect.
- Radius: Sets the radius of the sphere, in pixels.
- Use Source As: Choose how the contents of the layer to which the sphere effect is applied will be used within the effect.
- Surface Texture: Wraps the source layer onto the sphere, as the sphere’s main texture. When this option is selected, the Layer property in the Surface Texture controls will not be displayed.
- Environment Map: Reflects the source layer onto the surface of the sphere, as an environment map. When this option is selected, the Layer property in the Environment Map controls will not be displayed.
- Environment Layer: The source layer is distorted and wrapped behind the sphere, as if it were being viewed through a sphere of glass. When this option is selected, the Environment Layer controls will not be displayed.
- None: The source layer’s contents are ignored.
Position
- Transform From: Select another layer from the timeline using this menu, to use the selected layer’s position to control the center of the Sphere. When a layer is selected, the Position property below functions as an offset from the parent layer’s position.
- Position: Sets the center point of the sphere, using X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) values.
- Depth: Adjusts the apparent distance of the sphere from the camera, without moving the environment map or environment layer.
Scale
- X: Adjusts the horizontal diameter of the sphere independently from the Y axis and Z axis.
- Y: Adjusts the vertical diameter of the sphere independently from the X axis and Z axis.
- Z: Adjusts the front to back diameter of the sphere independently from the X axis and Y axis.
Surface Texture
The Surface Texture is the image used as the surface of the sphere itself, not factoring in any reflections or refractions.
- Layer: Choose any layer on the timeline to be used as the surface texture.
- Scale: Adjusts the size of the texture image applied to the sphere.
- Scale Ratio: Adjusts the width of the image independently from the height. A Scale Ratio of 1.00 uses the original aspect ratio of the source image.
- Wrap X: Select how the image will be wrapped from left to right, when necessary. Generally this setting is only relevant when the Scale (above) is set below 100%.
- No: If the image is too small to fill the sphere, the areas beyond the image are filled with black.
- Tile: An exact copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas to the left and right of the original.
- Reflect: A mirrored copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas to the left and right of the original.
- Wrap Y: Select how the image will be wrapped from top to bottom, when necessary. Generally this setting is only relevant when the Scale (above) is set below 100%.
- No: If the image is too small to fill the sphere, the areas beyond the image are filled with black.
- Tile: An exact copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas above and below the original.
- Reflect: A mirrored copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas above and below the original.
Environment Map
The Environment Map is the image used as the surrounding of your sphere, which is reflected onto its surface. The selected image is mapped onto an invisible virtual sphere, which surrounds the actual Sphere created by the effect. This allows the environment map to be realistically reflected onto the sphere from all sides. The Reflection controls below adjust how reflective the sphere’s surface is, and thus how visible the environment map is.
- Layer: Choose any layer on the timeline to be used as the environment map.
- Scale: Adjusts the size of the environment map image that is reflected onto the sphere.
- Scale Ratio: Adjusts the width of the image independently from the height. A Scale Ratio of 1.00 uses the original aspect ratio of the source image.
- Wrap X: Select how the image will be wrapped from left to right, when necessary. Generally this setting is only relevant when the Scale (above) is set below 100%.
- No: If the image is too small to fill the sphere, the areas beyond the image are filled with black.
- Tile: An exact copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas to the left and right of the original.
- Reflect: A mirrored copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas to the left and right of the original.
- Wrap Y: Select how the image will be wrapped from top to bottom, when necessary. Generally this setting is only relevant when the Scale (above) is set below 100%.
- No: If the image is too small to fill the sphere, the areas beyond the image are filled with black.
- Tile: An exact copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas above and below the original.
- Reflect: A mirrored copy of the layer is used to fill the blank areas above and below the original.
Environment Layer
The Environment Layer is the image used as a background, refracted through the sphere. The Refraction controls below define how transparent and refractive the sphere material is.
- Layer: Choose any layer on the timeline to be used as the Environment Layer.
Reflection
The reflection controls define how reflective the surface of the sphere is. This, in turn, affects how the environment map is reflected onto the sphere’s surface.
- Amount: Adjusts how reflective the surface is.
- Angle Dependency: Modifies the shininess of the surface. Higher values create more glare on the surface, which washes out the contrast of the reflections.
- Reflection Region: Choose where on the sphere’s surface the reflections will appear.
- All: The entire surface of the sphere will reflect the environment map.
- Textured Area: Only areas where a Surface Texture is present will be reflective.
- Untextured Area: Only areas where no surface texture is present will be reflective.
- Text Mult Color: Only areas where a Surface Texture is present will be reflective, but it also multiplies the color of the texture. So for example, a black texture will not reflect light, or a red texture will only reflect red light.
Refraction
Refraction controls how light passes through the volume of the sphere. In practical terms, it controls how the Environment Layer image which can be selected above, appears through the sphere. The Refractive Index property can be used to accurately simulate refraction from real world materials.
- Refractive Index: Select the refractive index of the sphere. A list of common refractive indices can be found on Wikipedia.
Illumination
- Type: Choose the lights that will be used to illuminate the sphere.
- None: Any lights present on the timeline are ignored, and the default illumination model is used.
- Comp Lights: All lights present on the timeline are used to illuminate the sphere.
- Selected Lights: Only the specific lights you select will be used to illuminate the sphere.