3ds Max More Material Slots
Value > Collections > Collection Types > MaterialLibrary Values |
The 3ds Max Material Editor sample slots are completely black when using the Chaos Group V-Ray renderer in 3ds Max. Material slots appeared normal previously. For older verions of 3DS Max, you can follow the same workaround for 3DS Max 2014. Download the latest version available of the plugin for your version of Max from Autodesk FBX archive (for example, FBX 2006.11.1 is the latest version that supports 3DS Max 7), export your model as FBX and convert to Collada using FBX Converter 2013.2.
A MaterialLibrary contains a table of materials as an array.
The 3ds Max system global variables currentMaterialLibrary and sceneMaterials contain MaterialLibrary instances.
System global variable meditMaterials is not a MaterialLibrary value, rather it is a virtual array of the materials in the Material Editor sample slots.
In most cases, meditMaterials can be considered a MaterialLibrary value with the exception that you can assign a material or textureMap value to a meditMaterials element.
MaterialLibrary values are mappable.
Constructors
A system global containing the current material library.
A system global containing all materials in the scene.
A system global containing the 24 sample slot materials in the Material Editor.
Creates a temporary material library. You can add materials to this library with the append function, and save it to disk and load it from disk using the saveTempMaterialLibrary and loadTempMaterialLibrary functions documented farther in this topic.
Properties
Returns the number of materials in the library.
Operators
Retrieves a material from the material library. Material libraries can be indexed just like arrays with an integer index, or by using the material name as a Name or String value.
Assigns the specified material or textureMap to the material library.
Material libraries can be indexed just like arrays with an integer index, or by using the material name as a Name or String value.
If the material library is indexed by an index value, and the index value is larger than the size of the material library, a runtime error is generated.
If the material library is indexed by a material name, and the material name is not already present in the material library, the material or textureMap is appended to the material library.
Returns the material or textureMap in the indexed material editor slot.
Valid <slot_index_integer> values are 1 through 24.
Assigns the specified material or textureMap to the indexed material editor slot.
Valid <slot_index_integer> values are 1 through 24.
Methods
Append the specified material to the material library. This method is not applicable to the meditMaterials material library.
Delete the specified material from the material library. The material can be specified as the indexed material in the material library, as a String or as a Name. This method is not applicable to the meditMaterials material library.
Returns the index of the material in the material library or zero if the material is not in the material library.
Associated Methods
Returns the top level material or textureMap in the specified material editor slot. Valid <slot_index_integer> values are 1 through 24.
FOR EXAMPLE: |
Complements the getMeditMaterial function allowing you to place a material or textureMap into the numbered material editor slot.
Loads the default 3ds Max material library file.
Loads the named 3ds Max material library file, which becomes the current material library. If the file name does not have a fully specified directory path, the function searches through all the currently configured bitmap paths. Returns true if loading is successful, false if it fails.
Saves the current material library into the named file. Returns true if saving is successful, false if it fails.
This method displays the File Open dialog and allows the user to select a material library to load.
Displays the standard Save File As dialog to allow the user to save the current material library.
If the current material library has been saved previously (has been named) this method saves the material library to the same file. Otherwise, it displays the standard Save File As dialog to allow the user to save the current material library.
For details on the quiet: option available in 3ds Max 8 and higher, please see Quiet Mode.
Returns the current material library file name as a String value.
EXAMPLES: |
You can use the standard array indexing accessors to get and set materials in the library. MaterialLibraries also allow you to use name and string literals as indexes to get materials in them by name: |
Loads the named 3ds Max material library file. Unlike loadMaterialLibrary(), the material library does not become the current material library. If the file name does not have a fully specified directory path, the function searches the material library path and all the currently configured bitmap paths. Returns MAXMaterialLibrary value if loading is successful, undefined if it fails.
Available in 3ds Max 9 and higher.
Saves the specified MAXMaterialLibrary value into the named file. Returns true if saving is successful, false if it fails.
Available in 3ds Max 9 and higher.
EXAMPLES: |
You can use the standard array indexing accessors to get and set materials in the library. MaterialLibraries also allow you to use name and string literals as indexes to get materials in them by name: |
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shadow_matte shader used to capture shadow on the floor plane (rollover image)
The shadow_matte is a specific shader, used typically on floor planes to 'catch' shadows from lighting within the scene. It is useful for integrating a rendered object onto a photographic background. You can create a custom shadow pass with this shader. You can also render out shadows separately for use in a compositing package. For example, you may want to change the shadow density or color of the shadow to match some live-action footage.
Background
Shadow
Diffuse
Specular
Lights
AOVs
Background
This can be set to either scene_background (default) or background_color, which allows connecting a specific texture in the background_color parameter slot.
Shadow
Shadow Color
The color of the shadow. You can use it to 'tint' the color of the shadows to match a photographic backplate.
Shadow Opacity
Determines how 'opaque' or dark the shadow appears. Higher values will produce a lighter shadow. The captured shadow is visible in the alpha channel. If you have a very hilly or bumpy ground, you may need to increase the Transparency Depth in the Render Settings.
3ds Max More Material Slots Vegas World
Alpha Mask
Controls whether the alpha should be opaque or contain the shadow mask.
Diffuse
Diffuse color
The color used to determine the overall indirect diffuse contribution in the scene.
Diffuse Color: Red
Use Background Color
If enabled, the background color is used to determine the overall indirect diffuse contribution in the scene. Otherwise, the color defined in the diffuse color is used.
Disabled. Red indirect diffuse color visible on floor. |
The amount of diffuse contribution.
Backlighting
When enabled, it takes into account the backlighting illumination. Backlighting provides the effect of a translucent object being lit from behind (the shading point is 'lit' by the specified fraction of the light hitting the reverse of the object at that point). It is recommended that this only be used with thin objects (single-sided geometry) as objects with thickness may render incorrectly.
Indirect Diffuse
Switch for enabling/disabling capture of the indirect diffuse light.
Specular
Indirect Specular
Switch for enabling/disabling capture of the indirect specular light.
Specular Color
The color the specular reflection will be modulated with.
The specular weight. Influences the brightness of the specular highlight.
Specular Roughness
Controls the glossiness of the specular reflections. The lower the value, the sharper the reflection.
Specular IOR
The IOR parameter (Index of Refraction) defines the material's Fresnel reflectivity and is by default the angular function used. Effectively the IOR will define the balance between reflections on surfaces facing the viewer and on surface edges. You can see the reflection intensity remains unchanged, but the reflection intensity on the front side changes a lot.
Lights
Light Group
Per light group shadow mattes. More information about light groups can be found here.
AOVs
A list of available AOVs available for the Shadow Matte shader. Each option creates a separate AOV render pass for that component. Note that the AOV must also be enabled in the Render Setup window.
Shadow
Direct light shadow AOV.
Shadow Diff
A difference AOV which can be used to eliminate the shadow from the direct component.
Shadow Mask
This AOV can be used in comp to localize and tweak the shadow.
Offscreen Color
There may be areas visible in the specular reflections which are outside of the background plate; so-called offscreen areas. This parameter defines the color used for these offscreen areas; you can link a texture for instance.
Background image linked to 'Offscreen color' |
Backplate bitmap -> projection_color. Environment HDRI -> offscreen_color
Skydome Light Sampling
The Shadow Matte shader requires more than 1 sample to avoid noisy shadows. This is because it is computing a ratio of shadowed/unshadowed lighting, and to get a good estimate of that it requires multiple samples.
Samples: 1. Shadows on the floor plane (shadow matte) look poor compared to those on the platform | Samples: 2. Shadows on the floor plane appear the same as on the platform |