3D Scene, Lighting & Materials
The 3D tab: Quality, the mode look and Reset look, camera and camera moves, build-up, object colour, material, coatings and textures, country flags, background, platform, mirror, lighting, shadows, tone and cinematic effects, and scene audio.
How the 3D Tab Works
The 3D tab appears when a 3D mode is loaded. It controls the whole 3D stage: camera, objects, lights, backdrop, floor, finishing effects and the impact note. Every group in it needs Pro, Elite and Agency. Anyone can pick a 3D mode, watch it and export it. Modes still in development show their settings locked until the mode ships.
At the top is Quality, then the mode's own look, then six groups: Camera & Motion, Objects, Lighting & Shadows, Scene & Platform, Effects & Grade and Audio. Groups and sections only show when the current mode uses them.
Every 3D mode starts with its own tuned look. The first row names it; its info icon explains why the mode looks that way. Change any control and that section becomes yours while the rest keeps the mode's look. Reset look (shown once you have changed something) brings the whole look back. Switching modes never overwrites your own settings.
Quality
One click sets how crisp shadows, reflections, contact shading and edges are. Your export uses this too. It never turns features on or off, and never changes how many objects a mode places.
| Level | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Low | Fastest: low shadow and mirror resolution, fastest contact shading, no antialiasing, standard preview sharpness. |
| Medium | Balanced for most machines. |
| High | Crisp shadows and reflections. |
| Ultra | Sharpest, and heaviest on the graphics card. |
| Custom | Where you land after hand-tuning a quality control. Keeps exactly what was on screen. |
Camera & Motion
Where the camera sits, the move it makes, and how the scene escalates.
| Control | What it does | Range / default |
|---|---|---|
| Camera Distance | How far the camera sits from the scene. | 150 to 2000. Default 1250 |
| Camera Height | How high it sits. Low is dramatic, high looks down on the scene. | 0 to 1000. Default 560 |
| Field of View | Lens width in degrees. 20 to 30 is telephoto; 70 to 90 exaggerates perspective. | 20 to 90. Default 45 |
| Look Height | Moves the camera and its aim up or down together, without tilting. | -400 to 400. Default 0 |
| Auto Rotate | Slowly orbits the camera around the scene. | Off |
| Rotate Speed (°/s) | Auto Rotate on: orbit speed. Negative reverses. | -60 to 60. Default 8 |
| Camera Angle (°) | Auto Rotate off: the fixed viewing angle. | -180 to 180. Default 45 |
| Animate Height | Height Sweep: rises over the scene and settles back, on a loop. | Off |
| Lowest Height / Highest Height | The two ends of the sweep. | 0 to 1000. Defaults 320 and 900 |
| Round Trip (seconds) | Time for one full up-and-down. | 2 to 120. Default 20 |
| Sweep Curve | Smooth, Constant Speed or Hold At Both Ends. | Smooth |
| Keep The Framing | Arcs in as it rises so the scene never changes size. | On |
| Build Up Over Time | Build-Up: the simulation itself escalates as the clip runs. | On |
| Build Intensity | How much bigger it gets at the peak. | 0 to 1.5. Default 0.7 |
| Seconds To Peak | How long the climb takes, then it holds. | 4 to 120. Default 32 |
| Surges | Pulses riding on the climb. | 0 to 12. Default 3 |
Technical parameters
- Camera Moves appears only in modes that make a move of their own on top of the shared camera, such as following a falling chain or framing a whole board. Its switches and sliders are specific to that mode and explained by their info icons.
Tip
- Set Seconds To Peak close to your clip length so the peak lands at the end.
Objects: Color, Material, Coatings, Texture and Flags
These controls restyle every ball, cube, grain and particle in the scene at once.
| Control | What it does | Range / default |
|---|---|---|
| Color Override | Off (the mode's own colours), Tint, Gradient (remap onto Color A to B), Solid, Rainbow. | Off |
| Color A / Tint Color / Object Color | The override colour, or the start of the gradient. | Default #38bdf8 |
| Color B (gradient end) | Gradient only. | Default #f472b6 |
| Hue Rotation (°) / Hue Cycle Speed (°/s) | Rainbow only: where it starts, and how fast it drifts. | 0 to 360 (0) / -180 to 180 (0) |
| Saturation | Colour intensity. 0 is greyscale. | 0 to 2. Default 1 |
| Glow | Makes objects emit light. Feeds bloom when Cinematic Effects is on. | 0 to 2. Default 0.15 |
| Metalness | How much the surface reflects its surroundings. | 0 to 1. Default 0.05 |
| Roughness | How blurred reflections are. | 0 to 1. Default 0.42 |
| Surface Finish | Smooth, Brushed Metal, Satin, Frosted, Stone, Swirl Polish, Worn Metal, Hammered. | Smooth |
| Roughness Variation | Gives each object a slightly different polish. | 0 to 0.3. Default 0 |
| Clearcoat / Clearcoat Softness | A glossy shell over the colour, like candy or car paint. | 0 to 1 (0) / 0 to 1 (0.06) |
| Iridescence / Iridescence Film | Soap-bubble shimmer, and which colours it throws. | 0 to 1 (0) / 1 to 2.33 (1.3) |
| Real Glass, Glass Frost, Refraction | Glass Container section, only in modes that have a glass container: the container really refracts what is inside. Costs an extra render pass. | Off; 0 to 1 (0.05); 1 to 2.5 (1.5) |
| Object Texture / Texture Tiling | Wraps one of your uploaded images around every object. | None; 0.25 to 8 (1) |
| Identity Skin | Off or Country Flags: skins objects with flags so viewers pick a side. | Off |
| How Many Countries / Countries (in order) / Flag Strength | Flags only. Type two-letter codes such as IN, BR, JP, DE, or leave blank for a random set. | 2 to 64 (24) / text / 0 to 1 (1) |
Tip
- Metal only looks like chrome when Studio Reflections is on (Lighting & Shadows) and Roughness is low.
Lighting & Shadows
The key light is the main light and the only one that casts shadows. The fill light opens up the shadow side. Ambient and Sky light fill everything gently. Studio Reflections is an invisible light box the objects reflect.
| Control | What it does | Range / default |
|---|---|---|
| Key Light / Key Light Color | Strength and colour of the main light. | 0 to 3 (0.9) / white |
| Light Angle (°) / Light Height (°) | Direction of the key light. This also moves the shadows. | 0 to 360 (34) / -90 to 90 (55) |
| Light Follows Camera | Keeps the key on the viewer's side as the camera orbits. | Off |
| Fill Light / Fill Light Color | Strength and colour of the fill lamp. | 0 to 3 (0.7) / warm #ffddaa |
| Fill Angle (°) / Fill Height (°) / Fill Distance | Where the fill lamp stands. Closer is much brighter. | 0 to 360 (0) / -90 to 90 (90) / 20 to 2000 (200) |
| Fill Follows Camera | Keeps the fill on the viewer's side. | Off |
| Ambient | Flat light from every direction. | 0 to 2. Default 0.55 |
| Sky Light Strength / Sky Color / Bounce Color | A soft dome light: sky colour from above, bounce from below. | 0 to 3 (0) / #bfd9ff / #2a2118 |
| Studio Reflections | The invisible light box that metal and gloss reflect. | On |
| Light Studio | Classic Room, Softbox Studio, Ring Light, Chrome Strips, Neon Duo (uses Color A and B), Noir. | Classic Room |
| Light Studio Rotation (°) / Tilt (°) | Turns and tilts the light box, walking highlights across the objects. | 0 to 360 (0) / -90 to 90 (0) |
| Reflection Strength | How strongly the light box lights and reflects. | 0 to 3. Default 1 |
| Cast Shadows | Real shadows from the key light. Costs an extra render pass. | Off |
| Shadow Quality | Low 512px, Medium 1024px, High 2048px, Ultra 4096px. | Medium |
| Shadow Strength / Shadow Color | Past 1, shadows go darker than the lighting allows, towards Shadow Color. | 0 to 2 (0.75) / black |
| Softness | 0 is a sharp edge, 12 a wide soft edge. | 0 to 12. Default 3 |
| Height Falloff | Shadows fade as objects lift away from the floor. | 0 to 1. Default 0.6 |
| Focus Range | Tightens the shadow around the subject for more detail. | 0.25 to 2. Default 1 |
| Shadow Bias | Only change it if you see stripes or floating shadows. | -0.005 to 0.005. Default -0.0004 |
Tip
- A slightly warm key with a cool fill or sky colour stops a render looking flat and grey.
- For a crisper shadow, lower Focus Range before raising Shadow Quality.
Scene & Platform
The backdrop, the floor the scene stands on, and its reflection.
| Control | What it does | Range / default |
|---|---|---|
| Background Type | Solid Color, Gradient (top to bottom), Image Backdrop, or Environment (image that also lights the scene and shows in reflections). | Solid Color |
| Background Color / Gradient Top / Gradient Bottom | Backdrop colours. | #15262d / #050507 |
| Background Image / Background Blur | Image types only: one of your uploaded images, and how soft it is. | 0 to 1. Default 0 |
| Show Platform | The floor slab under the scene. Hiding it also turns the mirror off. | On |
| Platform Color / Platform Opacity | Floor colour and how solid it is. | #33353a / 0 to 1 (1) |
| Platform Texture / Platform Tiling | Tiles one of your uploaded images across the floor. | None / 0.5 to 24 (4) |
| Custom Platform Material | Gives the floor the same finish controls as objects: Platform Metalness, Roughness, Glow, Finish, Finish Tiling, Clearcoat, Iridescence. | Off |
| Reflections | Objects mirror in the platform. Costs an extra render pass. | Off |
| Mirror Quality | Low (quarter resolution), Medium (third), High (half), Ultra (full). | High |
| Reflection Amount / Frost / Angle Fade / Mirror Tint | How strong, how blurred, how much it fades head-on, and its tint. | 0 to 1 (0.55) / 0 to 16 (0) / 0 to 1 (0) / white |
| Invisible Reflective Ground / How Far It Reaches | Continues the reflection past the platform edge, like a product shot. | Off / 1.2 to 12 (4) |
Technical parameters
- Wave 3D adds a Sphere Field Surface section here: Match Platform To Layout (off), Steel Floor Under Base (on) and Floor Color (#171b21).
- Uploaded images come from the same library as Ball Studio's Custom Image. If the list is empty, upload an image there first.
Effects & Grade
The finishing pass on the final image, plus preview performance.
| Control | What it does | Range / default |
|---|---|---|
| Antialiasing | Smoother edges, slightly heavier. Applies on the next scene reload. | On |
| Preview Sharpness | Auto (sharpen when there is headroom), Standard (fastest), Sharp (1.5x pixels), Maximum (full screen resolution). Exports always render at full resolution. | Auto |
| Object Limit | The most objects a mode may place. Lowering it is the fastest rescue for a struggling machine. | 2,000 to 80,000. Default 20,000 |
| Tone Mapping | Cinematic (ACES), Neutral, AgX or Raw. | Cinematic (ACES) |
| Exposure | Overall brightness of the finished frame. | 0.2 to 3. Default 1 |
| Cinematic Effects | Off (fastest), Basic (bloom, smooth edges, vignette), Full (adds contact shading, heaviest). | Off |
| Bloom / Bloom Threshold | How much bright areas glow, and how bright a pixel must be to glow. | 0 to 2 (0.7) / 0 to 1 (0.9) |
| Contact Shading / Shading Radius / Shading Quality | Full only: soft darkening where objects touch. | 0 to 8 (2.5) / 8 to 64 (24) / Performance to Ultra (Medium) |
| Vignette | Darkens the frame edges. | 0 to 1. Default 0.25 |
| Lens Fringe | A subtle colour split at the frame edges. | 0 to 5. Default 0 |
Tip
- Raise Exposure rather than every light when the whole scene is simply too dark.
Audio (Scene Audio)
The note that plays on every impact in a 3D mode.
| Control | What it does | Range / default |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Mode | Ascending Notes (a climbing scale), Selected Song (the next note of a song per impact), or Silent (no sound at all, including the mode's own sounds). | Ascending Notes |
| Scale | 25 scales and chords, from Pentatonic (always pleasant) to Chromatic. | Pentatonic |
| Climb Pattern | Up, Down, Up & Down, Down & Up, Skip Up, Staircase, Random. | Up |
| Root Note (MIDI) | The starting note. 48 is C3. | 24 to 84. Default 48 |
| Climb Length (notes) | Steps before the climb resets. | 3 to 40. Default 15 |
| Song / Melody | Selected Song only: which song to step through. | |
| Note Volume | Level of the impact note, separate from the background track. | 0 to 2. Default 1 |
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