To get a material from a scene:
- Click a sample slot to make it active.
Be careful not to click the sample slot of a material you want to use later.
- On the Compact Material Editor toolbar, click (Get Material).
3ds Max opens a modeless Material/Map Browser.
- In the list of materials, double-click the name of the material you want to get.
The material you chose replaces the previous material in the active sample slot.
Warning: When you get a material from a scene, initially it is a hot material.