Texture Mapping Parameters

The Texture Mapping subtab on the Appearances tab in the Palette includes the following Texture Mapping parameters which appear when you select a part in a model.

Mode Determines how the texture is projected onto 3D surfaces. These types of texture mapping include their own parameters for controlling the mapping.

Projection is the process by which a 2D texture map is applied over the surface of a 3D model, as if it were an image projected from a slide projector. There are several common projection types, including planar, cubic, spherical, and cylindrical. The most appropriate type depends on the type of map you project and the shape of the object you project upon.

There are minor changes to the texture manipulator depending on the projection mode used. The images below show the variations (UV projection mode does not have a corresponding texture manipulator, but all other 3D projection modes do).
UV UV retains and utilizes any UV coordinates present on the part for mapping. UV's are retained during import for most CAD formats that support UV mapping. Editing UV coordinates must be done in other tools. If the object does not have UV coordinates, its textures may not appear. You can fix this by changing the projection type. UV texture coordinates are the coordinate system for assigning textures to polygonal models.
Box Uses a “box” projection.

Planar Projects a flat texture plane in the X, Y, or Z-axis. To determine the direction, turn on the coordinate system in the Image tab or press Shift + C. If the surface to map to is at an angle, you may want to rotate the model so it aligns with the projection direction. After mapping, move the object back to its original position and the mapping moves with it.

Spherical Uses a spherical projection with Y as the up-axis. If the object requires spherical mapping in a different direction, rotate the object to align with the projection direction. After mapping, move the object back to its original position.

Radial Projects the texture as a circular plane, like a circular version of Planar.

Cylindrical Projects the texture as a cylinder standing up (Y-direction) for mapping. If the object requires cylindrical mapping in a different direction, rotate the object to align with the projection direction. After mapping, move the object back to its original position.

Perspective Maps the texture from the current camera angle so that it maps perfectly, but only from the current camera.
Manipulate Texture Lets you visually shift, scale, and rotate the texture on an applied surface using the texture manipulator.
Manipulate Texture will not appear if Texture Mapping Mode is set to UV.
Fit To Part Sizes the texture projection to the part's bounding box. This option typically yields the best quick fit and provides a starting point for you to edit the texture placement.
Set to World Scale Sets the texture scale to world coordinates.

When you apply the texture to multiple parts and click Set to World Scale for each part, the texture pattern is a consistent size on each part. It also updates on each part if you change the texture properties such as tiling, repeat, and rotation.
Transform Lets you numerically modify the texture mapping on the part. The alternative is texture mapping on parts using the texture manipulator, as discussed in Manipulate Texture.