Version 0.8 Last Modified 10th April 2014

Surface properties and ENV mapping

Max uses SG-s to control shining. ASE tools (with -ali or -morph mode) use SG-s to control surface properties. There is no connection between the two; but since the same information is used by two parties for two different purposes, you must keep this in mind and use SG-s in a way to satisfy both Max and ASE tools.

All combinations of ENV / non-ENV, smooth or sharp edges and various surface settings can be achieved. Most of the time simply setting the required SG-s is sufficient. Sometimes, if you want to achieve advanced combinations (surface property + ENV + other special SG-s like transparency), or faceted ENV, you also have to set the specular color of the material, and/or break vertices.

In the following there will be references to "setting the material specular color to non-black". By default, a materials' specular color is not black (it's gray); so if you haven't modified it, you don't have to deal with it.

-morph,-kay mode

-ali mode


This and alternatively, it's possible to set adjectives.
For instance, we have got an object named "Sphere001", there, if want this object to be not shiny and to have green reflection (or shininess), we follow the exact as above then we rename our object to "Sphere001 ref50" (50% reflection). See adjective documentation for more information.

Contents Page

Next