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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.

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