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 Editor (Compact/Slate) > Material/Map Browser > Materials group; also the Scene Materials group, library groups, and custom groups

Note: The materials available depend on the active renderer.

Procedures

To get a material, do one of the following:

• In the Slate Material Editor, locate the material in the Material/Map Browser and then double-click or drag it into the active View.
• In the Compact Material Editor, click Get Material. The Material/Map Browser appears. Locate the material in the Material/Map Browser, double-click or drag it into a sample slot and 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.