I have applied a RepTile "bump-type" Property to a surface in my TracePro model. Why are the bumps still below the surface of the object?

Synopsis

RepTile "bump-type" Property- bumps are not above the surface

Solution

The RepTile geometry is slightly embedded in the object where it is applied. I can explain why this works that way ... the ray trace algorithms in TracePro are always seeking an answer to the question ... where does the ray intersect next? When a model has numerous surfaces, the possible ray intersections are numerous and the ray trace is very slow. The benefit of the RepTile ray trace is that the ray trace algorithm does not need to consider the numerous surfaces of the RepTile geometry unless or until the ray is inside of the object. Once the ray is inside the object, TracePro now considers if the ray enters the RepTile Cell. If so, TracePro goes into a RepTile ray trace mode, where it ONLY considers the RepTile geometry and it can ignore all other objects in the model. The RepTile Cell always leaves the RepTile Geometry slightly below the surface of the object, so a ray can first enter the object, then enter the RepTile Cell, and then encounter the RepTile geometry. This is the reason the bumps do not appear above the surface of the object. If the nature of your model absolutely requires that the bumps be above the surface, the bumps can be created as CAD geometry. TracePro will handle them properly, but without the enhanced ray trace speed as with RepTile.