Page 543 - Kitab3DsMax

Chapter 17: Adding Material Details with Maps

These rendered images can be created automatically or loaded from pre-rendered images using the Reflect/
Refract Parameters rollout. Using automatic cubic maps is easier, but they take considerably more time. If
you select the Automatic option, you can select to render the First Frame Only or Every Nth Frame. If you
select the From File option, then you are offered six buttons that can load cubic maps for each of the differ-
ent directions.
In the Reflect/Refract Parameters rollout, you can also specify the Blur settings and the Atmospheric Ranges.

Thin Wall Refraction map
The Thin Wall Refraction map simulates the refraction caused by a piece of glass, such as a magnifying
glass. The same result is possible with the Reflect/Refract map, but the Thin Wall Refraction map achieves
this result in a fraction of the time.
The Thin Wall Refraction Parameters rollout includes options for setting the Blur, the frames to render, and
Refraction values. The Thickness Offset determines the amount of offset and can range from 0 through 10.
The Bump Map Effect value changes the refraction based on the presence of a bump map.
Tutorial: Creating a magnifying glass effect
Another common property of glass besides reflection is refraction. Refraction can enlarge items when the
glass is thick, such as when you look at the other side of the room through a glass of water. Using the Thin
Wall Refraction map, you can simulate the effects of a magnifying glass.
To create a magnifying glass effect, follow these steps:
1. Open the Magnifying glass.max file from the Chap 17 directory on the DVD.
This file includes a simple sphere with a Perlin Marble map applied to it and a magnifying glass
modeled from primitive objects.
2. Choose Rendering ➪ Material Editor ➪ Slate Material Editor (or press the M key) to open the
Material Editor.
3. Locate and double-click the Thin Wall Refraction option in the Material/Map Browser to add a
node to the Node View. Drag a connection wire from the output socket, drop it anywhere on the
Node View, and then select the Materials/Standard material from the pop-up menu and the
Refraction channel from the parameters pop-up menu. This adds a standard material node to the
Node View and connects the Thin Wall Refraction node to the material’s Reflection parameter.
4. Double-click the Thin Wall Refraction node to open its parameters in the Parameter Editor. In the
Thin Wall Refraction Parameters rollout, set the Thickness Offset to 10 to increase the amount of
magnification.
5. Drag the output socket for the material node and drop it on the magnifying glass object in the
viewport to apply the material to the object.
Figure 17.34 shows the resulting rendered image. Notice that the texture in the magnifying glass appears
magnified.

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