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CustomShadersfor3dsMax 1711
• Custom Shaders for 3ds Max (page 2–1711)
links to descriptions of the shaders provided in
the product-specific library, 3d smax.mi.
• mental images Shader Libraries (page 2–1712)
linkstodescriptionsoftheshadersprovided
in the three standard mental ray libraries
from mental images: base.mi, contour.mi, and
physics.mi.
• ShadersintheLumeToolsCollection(page
2–1713) includeslinkstodescriptionsof
shaders in the lume library, lume.mi.
•TheCar Paint (page 2–1576) material is also
available as a shader, with the same set of
parameters.
•Themr Sun (page 2–1319), mr Sky (page
2–1318),andmr Physical Sky (page 2–1321)
shaders are components of the mental ray Sun
& Sky (page 2–1313) solution.
Note: When you wire the parameters of an object
whose material has mental ray shaders assign ed,
names of shader parameters might differ from
those in the Material Editor interface. Also,
parameters not supported by 3ds Max might
appear as blanks in the wiring menu.
mental r ay Sha ders not Provi ded with
3ds M ax
If your installation includes shader libraries
other than those listed in t his reference (whether
obtained from a third-party source, or custom
written), then the Browser might list those s haders
as well. Documentation for third-party or custom
shaders should come from the shader’s provider.
WhereShadersAreInstalled
Shaders provided with 3ds Max are installed in
the subdirectory \mentalray\shaders_standard\,
below the 3ds Max root directory. The \include
folder is for the MI include files, and the \shaders
folder is for the DLLs.
Third-party shaders should not be installed in
\shaders_standard. They should be installed either
in \shaders_3rdparty or \shaders_autoload.Ifa
third-party shader is present in \shaders_autoload,
it is loaded automatically when you start
3dsMax. Ifathird-partyshaderispresentin
\shaders_3rdparty, you must update the file
3rdparty.mi so it explicitly loads the shader. The
MI file \shaders_3rdparty\3rdpar ty.mi contains
comments that explain how to add load statements.
Note: Shaders listed in the MI file are loaded in
reverse order: that is, from the bottom of the list
to the top.
Cust om S ha der s f or 3 ds M a x
Material Editor > Maps rollout > C lick a Map button. >
Material/Map Browser > Pick a mental ray shader other
than a mental images librar y shader or a l ume shader.
Note: Shaders appear in the Browser only if the mental
ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
For use with the mental ray renderer (page 3–78),
3ds Max provides a number of custom shaders.
Thesearethefollowing:
3D Di splacement Shader (mental ray) (page
2–1714)
Bump Shader (mental ray) (page 2–1716)
DGS Material Shader (mental ray) (page 2–1717)
Dielectric Ma terial Shader (mental ray) (page
2–1719)
Environment Shader (mental ray) (page 2–1721)
Height Map Displacement Shader (mental ray)
(page 2–1722)
Material to Shader (mental ray) (page 2–1723)
Shader List (mental ray) (page 2–1723)
UV Generator Shader (mental ray) (page 2–1724)
UV Coordinate Shader (mental ray) (page 2–1728)