Well, I made a major googlefest, but couldn't find one thing:
A database of materials - or more specifically some kind of datasheet to achieve realistic materials in 3ds max.
Like a page which lists different fabric/surface/material types, and correct (well, some kind of basic) values to use in 3ds max for transparency, transclusency, reflection, diffusion, etc.
All I found was some very informative databases, with everything from density to reflection, but they are NOT meant for 3d modelling software such as max, and I'm not experienced enough to convert values by myself or figure out what goes where.
I'm quite sure that databases like this (http://www.matweb.com/search/SearchProperty.asp) do exist for specifically MAX too - where else do professionals get their values?
I remember someone linking to a forum where was a tutorial-like thread about transclusency, and typical values for different surfaces... resources like this is exactly what I need.
http://www.3dtotal.com/
You've already checked this site out, right?
A bit... but there's only tutorials??
Or did I miss the value sheet somewhere?
Tutorials go in-depth into materials. But if I'm making a scene with 20 different materials (steel, glass, etc) I can't search for and go through 20 different tutorials just to get the values I need...
I need something brief.
I don't think shaders are advanced enough that you can stick in a bunch of physical properties and out pops something that loops like the material you wanted, you just need to wing it with whatever rendering system you have... only a few things like glass or water are easy to describe in simple parameters, everything else requires an artists touch I'd say.
well, actually there are certain values that goes for certain materials. i dont know them, of course, but leigh van der byl has some helpful tips (she worked on movies like sin city, king kong, the aviator, fantastic 4).
http://www.onona3d.com/pdf/texturing.zip
but in the end, i guess its more down to experimentation. just put a few spheres down, and do loads and loads of render tests, until you see what values makes stuf work.
Now that's something useful, Mordalles!
Thanks.
I *can* think logically and I *know* that things like this can't be written down 100%. But if you - for example - walked upon a some Pixar's modeller and asked him to create - for example - a material for plastic, he knows where to start.
I-- don't!
There's surely some basic properties and iron rules and I also believe they're available somewhere. Like this refraction index table in this PDF Mordalles contributed.
Things like this.
I think you'd be better off by using textures and some trial-and-error highlights and reflection. When I started doing 3D, I thought that the renderer's (I use Rhinoceros and Flamingo) material editor is an all-powerful tool that lets me describe whatever material I want, suing physical properties. I don't know about 3ds max, but Flamingo doesn't. It is powerful, but it lets me specify highlights, reflection, a bit of refraction and some material "procedural roughness" only - other settings just concern texture transparency, rotation, origin, etc.
If there is something advanced, using a texture is a faaaar better and easier way to accomplish it. I was quite sorry to learn this, but that's the way it is (at least in Flamingo and some others I know, like Truespace, Poser and Bryce. I haven't used Maya, Softimage or 3ds max, though I wouldn't mind trying the latest max. It's a bit on the expensive side, though.)
If you search google for free textures, you'll find a lot of them. You can download some from www.accustudio.com (you won't be able to use the material libraries, they're for Flamingo, but you can still use the textures that come with the libraries - there are a LOT of them.)
The values InC is looking for are clearly to use with textures, not instead of textures.
I suppose he's asking to avoid trial and error, so why suggest it?
Oh, maybe I misunderstood. In Flamingo, one can create procedural materials, without any textures, where you specify material roughness, color, reflectivity, etc. It's actually quite good to create some materials and there is no need for presaved texture bitmaps. I'm not sure how 3ds max handles textures, since I never used it but I assumed that he was asking for setting values for procedural materials. One can create metals, marble, wood, etc, using only procedural settings (at least in Flamingo.)
I don't see a way to avoid trial and error: unless there is a downloadable material library with all the settings preset, he'll have to set everything by himself.
www.3dcafe.com has loads of models etc for 3ds...Ã, look in the "free stuff" bit
personally i use truespace,, i can do the job faster but detail is its down side, milkshape is good and cheaper than max.. 3D gamestudio modelers swear by it
I've worked a bit with max, and depending on what version you are using, you might look through the extensive tutorial and user reference. I think there are lists of common values in there (like the refraction level of glass as compared to water or diamonds and such). There aren't any magic numbers, because the values depend on the renderer you assign. For instance, if you use the built-in alternative mental-ray renderer, you get a whole new set of options regarding materials.
Also, 3dsmax7 comes with a whole library of so-called Architectural materials, which are preset, with maps and values that make them look like realistic walls, floors, brickwork, celinings, fences etc. It's useful for most realistic scenarios, but hey - even when the matrials are correct, it's up to you to set the corrects lighting, which isn't always simple. 3dsmax7 (maybe also in version 6), for this reason, simulates lightbulbs with different real-life properties (Watt), as well as sunlight and positioning of your scene on real-world coordinates to simulate angle of light at the time of day. Given all those variables, in my experience I haven't found any way around experimenting with the settings and doing tons of test-renderings.