Standard Material and Related Materials (Non-Photometric)
This section describes the Standard material and other materials that are not photometric. These materials can be suitable for games and animation, but not for physically accurate lighting models.
Topics in this section
Shading Type
The Standard and Raytrace materials let you specify a shading type. A "shader" is an algorithm that describes how the surface responds to light. One of the most noticeable features of each shader is how it generates specular highlights.
Standard Material
The Standard material type provides a fairly straightforward way to model surfaces. In the real world, the appearance of a surface depends on how it reflects light. In 3ds Max, a standard material simulates a surface's reflective properties. If you don't use maps, a standard material gives an object a single, uniform color.
Raytrace Material
The Raytrace material is an advanced surface-shading material. It supports the same kinds of diffuse surface shading that a standard material does. It can also create fully raytraced reflections and refractions. It also supports fog, color density, translucency, fluorescence, and other special effects.
Compound Materials
Compound materials combine two or more sub-materials for a variegated look, especially when used with maps. Compound materials are similar to compositor maps, but they exist at the material level. You load or create compound materials using the Material/Map Browser.
Ink 'n Paint Material
The Ink 'n Paint material creates cartoon effects. Rather than the three-dimensional, realistic effect most other materials provide, Ink 'n Paint provides flat shading with “inked” borders.