Getting Started in 3D with 3ds Max

You learned to render images in 3ds Max in Chapter 14, and now you will learn some rendering options important for production.

Some of the topics covered in this chapter are as follows:

• Alpha channel: Learn to render files with “alpha channel,” levels of transparency useful in 3ds Max maps or images.
• Render elements: Learn to separate specific elements, such as specular highlights or reflections, as you render the finished image.

34.1 Alpha Channel

Understanding alpha channels in images requires a little knowledge of computer rendering history. When computer rendering was developed in the 1980s, computers were significantly less powerful than ...