Page 546 - Kitab3DsMax

Part IV: Materials, Cameras, and Lighting Basics

TABLE 17.1 (continued)
Material Properties for Maps
Material
Property Description
Opacity Determines which areas are visible and which are transparent. Black areas for this map are
transparent, and white areas are opaque. This mapping works in conjunction with the Opacity value
in the Basic Parameters rollout. Transparent areas, even if perfectly transparent, still receive specular
highlights.
Filter Color Colors transparent areas for creating materials such as colored glass. White light that is cast through
an object using filter color mapping is colored with the filter color.
Anisotropy Controls the shape of an anisotropy highlight. This mapping is available only with the Anisotropic
and Multi-Layer Shaders.
Orientation Controls an anisotropic highlight’s position. Anisotropic highlights are elliptical, and this mapping
can position them at a different angle. Orientation mapping is available only with the Anisotropic
and Multi-Layer Shaders.
Metalness Controls how metallic an area looks. It specifies metalness values from 0, where the map is black, to
a maximum, where the map is white. This mapping is available only with the Strauss Shader.
Bump Uses the intensity of the bitmap to raise or indent the surface of an object. The white areas of the
map are raised, and darker areas are lowered. Although bump mapping appears to alter the
geometry, it actually doesn’t affect the surface geometry.
Reflection Reflects images off the surface as a mirror does. The three types of Reflection mapping are Basic,
Automatic, and Flat Mirror. Basic reflection mapping simulates the reflection of an object’s
surroundings. Automatic reflection mapping projects the map outward from the center of the object.
Flat-Mirror reflection mapping reflects a mirror image off a series of coplanar faces. Reflection
mapping doesn’t need mapping coordinates because the coordinates are based on world coordinates
and not on object coordinates. Therefore, the map appears different if the object is moved, which is
how reflections work in the real world.
Refraction Bends light and displays images through a transparent object, in the same way a room appears
through a glass of water. The amount of this effect is controlled by a value called the Index of
Refraction. This value is set in the parent material’s Extended Parameters rollout.
Displacement Changes the geometry of an object. The white areas of the map are pushed outward, and the dark
areas are pushed in. The amount of the surface displaced is based on a percentage of the diagonal
that makes up the bounding box of the object. Displacement mapping isn’t visible in the viewports
unless the Displace NURBS (for NURBS, or Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines, objects) or the Displace
Mesh (for Editable Meshes) modifiers have been applied.

Tutorial: Aging objects for realism
I don’t know whether your toolbox is well worn like mine—it must be the hostile environment that it is
always in (or all the things I keep dropping in and on it). Rendering a toolbox with nice specular highlights
just doesn’t feel right. This tutorial shows a few ways to age an object so that it looks older and worn.
To add maps to make an object look old, follow these steps:
1. Open the Toolbox.max file from the Chap 17 directory on the DVD.
This file contains a simple toolbox mesh created using extruded splines.
2. Press the M key to open the Slate Material Editor. Locate and double-click the Standard material
in the Material/Map Browser, and then select the Metal shader from the drop-down list in the
Shader Basic Parameters rollout. In the Metal Basic Parameters rollout, set the Diffuse color to a
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