Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Applying a Material to an Object
Before we explore how to modify materials, we need to be
able to view a material on an object in our scene. There are a
few ways you can apply a material to your object.
First, make a sphere somewhere in your viewport. 3ds
Max applies a random color to the object on creation. Now,
make sure the Material Editor is open and put your mouse
over the top-left material. Click on the material and then drag
it onto the sphere in your scene. You should see your sphere
turn gray, resembling the material seen in the Material Editor.
If you'd rather not click and drag, you can always apply
materials to objects another way. Start off by clicking on your
object. Then click on any of the materials in your Material
Editor. Finally, press the Apply to Selected Object button.
It's that easy!
Tip: What material is applied to this again?
You can easily tell what material is applied to an object by
clicking on the object in question and opening the
Material Editor. The material that is applied is the one with
the white brackets over the corners as seen in the figure
below. Also, if a material is in use but the object using the
material isn't selected, the material will have grayed out
corners.
Figure 4-3: A sphere with a high specular
material. On the right, brackets over the
corners indicate the applied material.
