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Chapter 15: Using the Slate Material Editor

The right-click pop-up menu also offers an option to create a new library. New Libraries can be saved and
loaded also using the right-click pop-up menu.

Note
Max ships with several different material libraries, including Backgrounds, Bricks, Concrete, Fabric, Ground,
Metal, Nature, RayTraced, ReflectionMaps, Skys, Space, Stones, Wood, and several architecture material sets. You
can find all these libraries in the matlibs directory. n
Save a layout with the current materials using the Material/Map Browser Options ➪ Additional
Options ➪ Save Layout As. These files are saved as files with the .mpl extension.

Cross-Ref
Although materials can be saved out as libraries, perhaps the easiest ways to share materials between applications
are using the Material XML Export utility or the Material ➪ Export As XMSL File command. n

Tutorial: Loading a custom material library
To practice loading a material library, I’ve created a custom library of materials using various textures cre-
ated with Kai’s Power Tools.
To load a custom material library into the Slate Material Editor, follow these steps:
1. Choose Rendering ➪ Material Editor (or press the M key) to open the Material Editor. Then make
sure the Material/Map Browser is active or select the Tools ➪ Material/Map Browser menu to open
the Material/Map Browser.
2. Select the Material/Map Browser Options ➪ Open Material Library menu.
3. Select and open the KPT samples.mat file from the Chap 15 directory on the DVD.
The library loads into the Material/Map Browser.
4. In the Search field (above the sample slot), type Bug to locate and select the bug eyes material.
Figure 15.7 shows the Material/Map Browser with the custom material library open.

Using the Material Explorer

The Scene Explorer has been well received and has made working with scene objects much easier. So easy
in fact that the Max team has looked for other places where a similar interface can be used, and the first
stop is with materials. The result is the Material Explorer.
The Material Explorer, shown in Figure 15.8, lets you quickly view all the scene materials along with their
hierarchies and all their properties in a single interface. It also lets you sort the materials by their various
properties and even make changes to multiple materials at once. You can access the Material Explorer with
the Rendering ➪ Material Explorer command.
The Material Explorer works exactly like the Scene Explorer and has configurable columns. It is divided
into two panels. The top panel shows all the materials in the current scene; the bottom panel shows the
hierarchy of the selected material or submaterial.
In addition to the menus, several toolbar buttons run horizontally under the menus and several display but-
tons run vertically down the left side of the interface. These buttons are described in Tables 15.2 and 15.3.

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