The Advanced Effects rollout provides controls that affect how lights affect surfaces, and also includes a number of fine adjustments and setting for projector lights.
You can make a light object into a projector by choosing a map for the light to project. A projected map can be a still image or an animation.
Casting a projection with a light
To make a light a projector:
The Material Editor is where you adjust the map's parameters.
You can also drag from any other used map button, as in the Environment dialog.
Assigning the map displays the map name in the button, and turns on the Projector toggle. After you have set up the map, you can turn off Projector to test rendering the scene without the projected image.
An alternative is to click the Map button. This displays the Material/Map Browser, which lets you choose the map type. At this point, the light behaves as a projector. To assign a map or adjust its parameters, you need to use the Material Editor.
To put the map in the Material Editor:
To blur a projection map:
You can animate Blur Offset to have a projected map go in or out of focus.
To make the shape of the light fit the projected bitmap:
3ds Max opens a file selection dialog.
You can also choose a bitmap other than the one the light projects.
For example, by using the Diffuse and Specular checkboxes you can have one light color the specular highlights of an object, while not coloring its diffuse area, and then have a second light color the diffuse portion of the surface while not creating specular highlights.
The effect of Ambient Only isn't visible in viewports. It appears only when you render the scene.
A: Affect specular only
B: Affect diffuse only
C: Affect ambient only
These controls make the light a projector.
Left: Standard spotlight
Right: Photometric light
You can also drag and drop a map from a Material Editor sample slot. If the Slate Material Editor is open, you can drag from a map node's output socket, then drop onto the projector button. You can also drag and drop from a map button in the Material Editor or anywhere else in the 3ds Max interface. When you drop a map onto the projector map button, a dialog asks if you want the map to be a copy (independent) or an instance of the source map.
To adjust the map's parameters (for example, to assign a bitmap or change the coordinate settings), drag the Map button to the Material Editor, and be sure to drop it as an instance. In the Compact Material Editor, drop the map over an unused sample slot. In the Slate Material Editor, drop it over the active View.