Mastering Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 2011: Autodesk Offical Training Guide

Chapter 9. Enhancing Models with Materials

The material and mapping features of 3ds Max Design 2011 let you simulate surface qualities such as color, texture, transparency, and even reflectance, roughness, and bumpiness. The Material Editor in 3ds Max lets you create and modify materials that you can then apply to objects to achieve realistic effects.

This chapter will introduce you to both forms of the Material Editor (the Compact Material Editor and the new Slate Material Editor) and how to design, edit, and use materials. You'll see how you can use materials to add color, texture, and realism to your models. In this chapter, you'll learn to:

• Create and edit materials

• Select shaders

• Use bump maps

• Create a material with sub-materials

• Add entourage ...