Maya Maya UV Mapping and Texturing 2

Question 1

Which texture map type simulates surface depth using grayscale height values without adding actual geometry?

Accepted Answer

Bump map

Answer

A bump map uses grayscale values to perturb surface normals at render time, creating the illusion of depth and fine detail without modifying the underlying geometry.

Question 2

What is the key difference between a bump map and a normal map in Maya?

Accepted Answer

Normal maps encode surface directions using RGB channels; bump maps use a single grayscale channel for height

Answer

Normal maps store XYZ surface normal directions in the RGB color channels for richer detail, while bump maps use a simpler grayscale heightfield to offset normals.

Question 3

In Maya, what does 'baking' a texture accomplish?

Accepted Answer

Pre-rendering lighting or shading information onto a static texture map for use in real-time engines

Answer

Texture baking renders complex scene information (lighting, AO, normals) into a static texture map so it can be used efficiently in real-time applications or game engines.

Question 4

What information does an ambient occlusion (AO) map store in Maya?

Accepted Answer

Pre-computed approximations of how much ambient light reaches each point on a surface

Answer

An AO map stores per-texel calculations of how exposed each surface point is to ambient light, darkening crevices and contact areas to add realistic depth.

Question 5

Which color space is typically correct for diffuse/albedo texture files in Maya's Arnold renderer?

Accepted Answer

sRGB

Answer

Diffuse/albedo textures are authored in sRGB color space by painting applications, and Arnold expects them tagged as sRGB so it can linearize them for physically correct rendering.

Maya Practice Test

Maya Practice Test

Maya Maya UV Mapping and Texturing 2