3d studio max r2 - t2 - materials

introduction
	this tutorial will introduce materials. you will open an existing model and then add materials to the objects. once you've logged-on start 3d studio max.
open sesame
right-click on the link tut2.max and save the file.
	this "scene" is an almost complete model of a simple interior; but, as you can see, without the proper materials it doesn't look like much!
	figure 1 plan.
let there be light...
	before we add the materials we must first put some lights in the space!
general lighting	firstly, we'll put general lighting (which we won't put into light fittings!) and then we'll place some wall lights.
	select the "lights" icon on the create command panel and choose "omni", using the top view pick a point in the middle of the dining room. max will place the light with a z (height) value of 0, so you'll need to use the "select and move" icon in the front or left view to move the light to the height you want (just below the ceiling).
	you'll need to set some of the parameters: in the modify command panel, in the "color" section set the multiplier to 1.2 (this boosts the brightness), in the "attenuation" section set the far start value to 3500 and end value to 5000 and tick the use checkbox under far. in the "shadow parameters" section click on the "cast shadows" checkbox.
	next, click on "select and move" (if it's not in) then (while holding the shift key down) drag the light into the middle of the kitchen and choose "instance" when prompted. this creates an exact copy of the previous light - if you alter the parameters of either light, the other's parameters are also changed. now copy the light into the living room twice (once at each end). then into the middle, to the right of the steps.
wall lights	if you look carefully, you'll see a number of yellow blobs on the walls, these are light shades. put an omni light in one of these light shades - it will require a bit of fiddling to get it inside the shade. set the light's multiplier parameter to 1.5 and the far attenuation to start at 80 and end at 2000, and tick the use checkbox and "cast shadows" checkbox.
check the position by zooming-in in both the top and front (or left) views to make sure the light is inside the shade.
	then copy the omni light into the other wall mounted light shades!
we live in a material world
to assign a material to an object, select the object, select the material, and then click on "assign material to selection".	now, the fun begins! click on the material editor (towards the top-right). you'll see a group of coloured spheres at the top and a swag of parameters down the bottom! click on the sphere at the top-left, max will draw a border around it (if it wasn't already there).
	click on "select by name" (from max's main toolbar, not the material editor), then select "[west walls]" - objects can be grouped (for easy selection) by using the "group" command.
	click on "assign material to selection", hopefully the border on the sample sphere will change to include filled triangles at each corner - this is how max displays materials that have been assigned to objects.
	in the "basic parameters" rollout, click on the sample colour (dull red) beside the diffuse label. max will display a colour selector: on the left is a rainbow pattern labelled "hue" (colour), beside it is the "whiteness" and to the right are red, green, blue and hue, saturation, value sliders. click in the "whiteness" section down near the bottom - to choose a white colour, then click "close".
	this process has assigned a "flat" colour to an object.
	use "select by name" to select the "[north walls]" and "[south walls]" and then assign the first material to them also.
glass	click on the second sample sphere and then pick "get material". in the "browse from:" section choose "mtl library". scroll down through the list until you find "glasss (standard)" and then double-click it - this changes the parameters of the second sample to be this material (glass).
	use "select by name" again to select "[balcony glass]" and "[glass]" (hold the ctrl key to add the second selection), then click on "assign material to selection".
	now that the windows are glass it would be possible to rotate the perspective view so that you're looking into the space - from the "east" - and then render the view...
save	before continuing, it would probably be a good idea to save what you've done! select "save as…" from the file menu, as before, change the drive to "students on 'excelsior' (s:)" and select your group (probably "arch" or "inarch") folder and then your username. finally, give the file a name, for example "tut2.max" and click on "save"!
timber	click on the third sample and then "get material". from the bottom of the list select "wood cedar boards (standard)". use 'select by name' to select "living room floor" and "[hall floor]".
scaling materials u,v,w refer to the object's x,y,z coordinates.	once you've selected the floor, go back to the material editor and select "assign material to selection" to make the floor timber. the timber, as it is, appears too large when rendered, so we need to scale the material. click on the modify command panel, click on the "uvw map" button, then change the u, v, and w tile values from 1.0 to 4.0 - you will probably need to scroll the command panel up so you can see the bottom of the "mapping" section.
	if you haven't already done so, rotate the perspective view, so you are looking into the living room from outside. try to make sure the floor is "in the picture", and then render the view.
cameras
	to really get the idea about how a space may look, you need to get inside the space(!) and to do that you need to create cameras!
	to insert a camera, click on the camera icon in the create command panel and click on the "target" button. move the cursor (in the top view) to where you'd like the camera and then drag in the direction that you want the camera to look. you should notice (in the front or left view) that the camera is "sitting on the floor" and looking along the floor!
	click on "select and move" then move the camera and target point up - be careful that the cursor is the "move" cursor (which looks like a cross with arrows on each arm).
this technique can be used to change any of the views, for example you can change the front view into a back view!	once you've set both positions, right-click on the label of the perspective view, choose views and then camera01. this will change the perspective view into a camera view.
have you saved recently?	once you render this view, you may decide to change you lights a bit!!
	create a few cameras in the space - looking in various directions...
finishing...
select them either by using "select by name" or by picking them!	apply materials to the other objects in the scene! either use a 'flat' colour by altering a sample material's diffuse colour or pick a sample material from the material library.
by the way, if you right-click on the current sample you get a menu which allows you to see up to 24 sample spheres at once!