Introduction to Mesh Modeling

Foxel enables users to import mesh files that are converted to a proprietary format called Mesh Asset, which can be edited within Foxel. The meshes from the imported file are transformed into Mesh Layers. Each Mesh Layer contains exactly one texture. If an imported object has a texture, the texels of that texture are converted to Foxel Texels, which support indexed color and indexed material.

Texture Conversion

For each texel of the source texture, Foxel performs a lookup to find the closest color in the active color palette. This process ensures that all colors are based on the color palette of the project, allowing for consistent color usage across all contained assets. This feature simplifies the manipulation of colors across different files, making it easier to maintain a cohesive visual style.

Texture Specifications

• Maximum Size: Textures can have a maximum size of 1024x1024 pixels. If necessary, Foxel will automatically scale the texture upon import to fit within this limit.
• Handling Empty Texels: If a texel is empty, the color and material set by the Mesh Layer that owns the texture will be rendered in its place. This ensures that there are no holes in the visual representation of the mesh, providing a seamless appearance.

Texel Specifications

Foxel Texels store both a color index and a material index. These indices point to the Color Palette and Material Set of the project to which the asset belongs. The materials support Physically Based Rendering (PBR) with properties such as metallic, roughness, emissive, and alpha (transparency). For more information, see Colors and Materials.

Referencing Assets

You can add a reference to a Mesh Asset in any Voxel Scene. Doing so will voxelize the meshes of the Mesh Asset and display them as a single voxel grid within the scene. For more information on how to reference assets, see Referencing Assets.

Note

Currently, Foxel does not allow modification of the vertices and faces of meshes, nor is this functionality planned for future updates. The primary focus of Foxel is voxel editing. Instead, it provides tools and operations for editing texels, a process known as texture painting. This has an immediate effect on the appearance of voxelized meshes, allowing for creative customization.

Key Topics

• Activating Textures: Learn how to make a texture active so that its texels can be edited.

• Editing Texels: Discover the tools available for editing texels and enhancing your textures.

• Transforming Textures: Understand how to resize and flip textures to achieve the desired layout and appearance.

• Texture Operations: Explore various operations you can perform on textures to achieve desired effects.

• Filters: Learn about color operations such as hue, saturation, and other adjustments to refine and enhance your textures.