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Part V: Animation and Rendering Basics

Cross-Ref
If you need to animate the Sun at different times in the day, use the Daylight or Sunlight systems, which are
discussed in Chapter 20, “Using Lights and Basic Lighting Techniques.” n
To flash lights on and off, enable and disable the On parameter at different frames and assign a Step
Tangent. To dim lights, just alter the Multiplier value over several frames.

Animating materials
Materials can be animated if their properties are altered while the Auto Key button is active. Max interpo-
lates between the values as the animation progresses. The material must be consistent for the entire anima-
tion: You cannot change materials at different keys; you can only alter the existing material parameters.

If you want to change materials as the animation progresses, you can use a material that combines multiple
materials, such as the Blend material. This material includes a Mix Amount value that can change at differ-
ent keyframes. The next tutorial shows how to use the Blend material in this manner.
Several maps include a Phase value, including all maps that have a Noise rollout. This value provides the
means to animate the map. For example, using a Noise map and changing the Phase value over many keys
animates the noise effect.

Note
Another common way to animate materials is with the Controller nodes that are applied in the Slate Material
Editor. Using these Controller nodes, you can alter material parameters for different frames and even access the
Curve Editor for these controllers. n

A useful way to view animated materials is to click the Make Preview button (the sixth button from the top)
in the Compact Material Editor to open the Create Material Preview dialog box, shown in Figure 21.14.
Select the Active Time Segment option, and click OK. The material renders every frame and automatically
opens and plays the material preview.

FIGURE 21.14
The Create Material Preview dialog box can render the entire range of frames or a select number of frames.

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