For polygonal objects in Strata 3D to realistically render with the complex crystalline appearance of precious and semi-precious gems, they must contain an interior structure of transparent surfaces through which the light can interact and refract realistically. Also, pay special attention to these points:
· You have to model the correct geometry for the gem(s) you wish to simulate: Cubic, Tetragonal, Hexagonal, etc.
· You must create and apply a texture that uses a second smoothness value corresponding to the internal crystalline structure. (This is definitely one of those trial and error type of projects.)
· You must increase the value in the transparency recursion field of the Raytracer Esoterica dialog box (opened through the Render command's dialog box) so that the multiple transparent surfaces will be fully noted and rendered by the raytracer.