Maestri on Maps

Here are some highlights from Maestri's tour of material maps in Max:

Most shader parameters can have a map added by clicking on the box to the immediate right of the parameter listing.

See, e.g., the Maps rollout of the Blinn Basic shader.

Maps come essentially in two kinds: bitmaps, which are conventional raster image files, and procedural maps, which generate effects through algorithms and parameters.

To access the map assigned to a particular parameter, click on the M within the map icon to the right of the parameter listing. Doing this changes the rollouts below to those of the map, not the parent material. THIS CAN BE VERY CONFUSING, so pay attention. Click on the Go To Parent button on the left of the control bar below the material samples to return to the main material.

It is possible to create submaps, e.g., mapping different effects for the white and black components of a checkerboard pattern. Maps can be included within maps, creating complex hierarchies.

Other map channels include opacity, bump mapping, reflection mapping, and specularity mapping.

To move maps between channels, drag and drop. You can also make copies and instances of maps.

To delete a map, drag an empty map slot (labeled "None") over the desired target.