Parametric textures are a great tool and can be used to good effect. However, many times the textures we want to create can only be done with bitmap textures. In the case of Khai's panel, we could easily have created a vector of the design. It is an oversize belt buckle sign background and, with the powerful tools in EnRoute, it could have been traced/vectorized to achieve the same effect as the bitmap we used. Nevertheless, this would have added one more step to the process, so we opted to apply the bitmap directly to the relief.

As for the extra texture on the background and lettering, it could easily have been done with a parametric texture. Once again, however we opted to use texture bitmaps. That is the beauty of a program like EnRoute — there are more ways than one, to skin the cat.

Kirsten's name plaque puts us solidly back into bitmap texture territory — the ‘leaf’ texture would be difficult to create any other way. Our first step was to create the vector outlines in EnRoute.

The bitmap texture, on the other hand, was created in Photoshop. The leaves were simply cut and pasted, adjusted for value, and rotated randomly. Once this was done, we applied it in EnRoute.

Every user has favorite methods they tend to use, given the choice. Happily, EnRoute is powerful enough to give us a variety of options. Our advice? Try them all — as you continually push the boundaries you will find occasion to use them all.