Types of Materials

Materials create greater realism in a scene. A material describes how an object reflects or transmits light. You assign materials to individual objects or selection sets; a single scene can contain many different materials. Different materials have different uses.

• Material/Map Browser > Materials group; also the Scene Materials group, library groups, and custom groups

Procedures

To get a material, do one of the following:

• In the Slate Material Editor, locate the material in the Browser panel, and drag it to the active View.
• On the Compact Material Editor toolbar, click (Get Material). 3ds Max opens the Material/Map Browser. Double-click a material type or drag the material to a sample slot, then close the Browser.

To change a material type in the Compact Material Editor:

1. At the level of a material, click the Type button below the Material Editor toolbar.

   3ds Max opens a modal Material/Map Browser. If you were at a material when you clicked Type, the Browser lists only materials (if you were at a map, it lists only maps).

2. Choose a material from the list, and then click OK.

   If you choose a compound material, 3ds Max opens a Replace Material dialog. This dialog lets you choose whether to keep or discard the original material.

   The Material Editor now displays controls for the new material.