Page 490 - Kitab3DsMax

Part IV: Materials, Cameras, and Lighting Basics

TABLE 15.1 (continued)
Slate Material Editor Buttons

Toolbar Button Name Description
Move Children Locks the position of the children nodes so they move
with the material block. If disabled, the children
nodes remain in place as the material block moves.
Hide Unused Nodeslots Condenses the material block so that only the nodes
that are being used are visible.
Show Map in Viewport, Show Displays 2D material maps and hardware maps on
Hardware Map in Viewport objects in the viewports.
Show Background in Preview Displays a checkered background image (or a custom
background) behind the material, which is helpful
when displaying a transparent material.
Layout All - Vertical, Layout All - Aligns and places all material blocks in a vertical
Horizontal column or a horizontal row.
Layout Children Moves and orients all children nodes to be next to
their respective material blocks.
Material/Map Navigator Opens the Material/Map Navigator dialog box, which
displays a tree of all the levels for the current
material.
Parameter Editor Toggles the Parameter Editor panel on and off.

Select by Material Selects all objects using the current material and
opens the Select Objects dialog box with those
objects selected.

Loading the Material Node View panel
When the Slate Material Editor is first opened, the Node View panel is blank. You can add material nodes to
the node view by double-clicking them in the Material/Map Browser or by dragging them from the Material/
Map Browser onto the Node View panel. This loads the selected node into the Node View.
If your scene has some objects with materials already applied, you can use the Material ➪ Pick from Object
menu or select the eyedropper tool on the toolbar and click an object in the viewport. The applied material
for that object is loaded in the Node View. If the selected object doesn’t have an applied material, then
nothing is loaded.
You can also get all the applied materials in the current scene using the Material ➪ Get All Scene Materials
menu. This loads all applied materials. If all the scene materials make it tough to find what you are looking
for, you can use the Edit ➪ Clear View menu to clear the Node View panel. This doesn’t remove any
assigned materials; it only simplifies the Node View panel.
Navigating the Material Node View panel
All current materials for the open scene are displayed as material node blocks in the Material Node View panel
of the Slate Material Editor. At the top of each material node block are the material name and type. You can
change the material name using the Parameter Editor or by right-clicking the material name and selecting

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