Adding the Posts Using Hose Objects

Creating a Realistic Hourglass

Creating Glass and Sand Materials

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials >  Modeling Tutorials > Creating a Realistic Hourglass > 

Adding Materials

You can create your own materials or open materials that exist in another file. You'll do both in this next section.

Continue from the previous lesson or open sands_of_time2.max from the \tutorials\hourglass folder.

Open existing materials from a library:

1. On the toolbar, click the Material Editor button.
   TipYou can also open the Material Editor with the keyboard shortcut: M.
2. Click the Get Material button in the Material Editor.

   The Material/Map Browser opens.

3. On the Material/Map Browser, in the Browse From group, choose Mtl Library, and then click File > Open at the bottom.
4. In the Open Material Library dialog, navigate to the materiallibraries folder, if necessary (this is the default folder), and choose 3dsmax.mat. Click Open.
   TipIf the Open Material Library dialog doesn't automatically open to the materiallibraries folder, you'll find it in the directory in which 3ds Max is installed.

   The Material/Map Browser fills with materials.

   

   Large icons in the Material/Map Browser

   There are many interesting textured materials in this library. When you have time, look through them so that you can learn about these materials. For this exercise, you'll open two materials that you'll apply to the hourglass.

5. Scroll through the materials until you see Metal_Dark_Gold. Double-click that material so that you can see it in the Material Editor.

   

   Get Metal_Dark_Gold material from a file.

   Next you'll locate a Wood material.

6. In the Material Editor, click the top-middle sample sphere to activate it. Then click Get Material and scroll through the materials until you find Wood_Burloak. Double-click that material to transfer it to the Material Editor.

   

   The Wood_Burloak material is added to the Material Editor.

7. Close the Material/Map Browser.

You'll now find out how easy it is to add these materials to the objects in the scene.

Add the materials:

1. In the viewport, select either the top or bottom cap of the hourglass.
2. In the Material Editor, click the Assign Material To Selection button. The Wood material appears on the cap in the viewport. Repeat the process for the other cap.

   You can also drag materials from the Material Editor and drop them onto the objects in the viewport. The objects don't even have to be selected first; just drag right onto them.

3. In the Material Editor, click the sample slot that contains the Metal_Dark_Gold material, and drag the material to all of the posts.
4. Right-click the Perspective viewport label and turn off Edged Faces.

   

   The Wood_Burloak and Metal_Dark_Gold materials applied to the hourglass

You've opened some pre-made materials for gold and wood. Now you'll make your own materials for glass and sand.