Getting Started in 3D with 3ds Max

Materials are the attributes of an object’s surface. 3ds Max ships with many predetermined materials that you can assign directly to the objects in your scene without ever learning how to create materials yourself, but this chapter will focus on showing you the process of creating materials from scratch. If you use the materials that are supplied with 3ds Max, your presentations will undoubtedly look very much like the scenes your competition is delivering. However, if you create your own materials, you can provide your presentations with a “signature” look that helps you stand apart from your competition.

Some of the surface attributes contained ...