3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [338]
FIGURE 30.2
Use the Paint Level value to set the number of colors used in the material.
The Ink Controls rollout includes an Ink option that you can use to turn off the outlining ink completely. You also can set the Ink Quality to values between 1 and 3. The higher-quality values trace the edges better, but require more time to complete. The width of the ink strokes can be set to Variable Width or a Clamped width. For each option, you can select a Minimum ink width, and if Variable Width is enabled, you can choose a Maximum ink width. For the Variable Width option, the stroke changes so that the minimum setting is used in lighted areas and the maximum width is used in shaded areas. This helps to accentuate the lighting. You can also apply the ink width as a map. Figure 30.3 shows the Ink 'n' Paint material applied to a cube. The first image shows a standard material; the second image has the Ink option disabled. The last three images have Width values of 1, 10, and 30.
Tip
Placing a noise map on the Ink Width property is a great way to give the ink outline a hand-drawn look. •
FIGURE 30.3
The Paint Level value sets the number of colors used in the material.
The rest of the options in the Ink Controls rollout are enabled to control where the ink is applied to the object. Options include Outline, Overlap, Underlap, Smoothing Group, and Material ID. For each of these options (except for Smoothing Group), you can alter a Bias value that can adjust intersecting edges. Each of these options can be applied as a map.
Tutorial: Cartooning a turtle
As an example of the Ink 'n' Paint material, you'll render a cartoonish turtle model created by Zygote Media as a cartoon that is fit for the Sunday papers.
To apply the Ink 'n' Paint material to a turtle model, follow these steps:
1. Open the Cartoon turtle.max file from the Chap 30 directory on the CD.
This file includes a simple turtle model.
2. With the turtle model selected, open the Material Editor by choosing the Rendering⇒Material Editor⇒Slate Material Editor menu command (or by pressing the M key).
3. In the Utility panel, select the Color Clipboard button, and in the Color Clipboard rollout, click the New Floater button. A palette of colors opens. Drag the Diffuse colors from the Material Editor for each current material to the Color Clipboard. Max asks if you want to Swap, Copy, or Cancel the material. Select the Copy option. Leave the Color Clipboard window open.
4. Select the first sample slot, and click on the Material Type button to open the Material/Map Browser. Double-click the Ink 'n' Paint material type from the list. Then drag the corresponding color from the Color Clipboard and copy it in the Lighted color swatch of the Paint Controls rollout. Repeat this for each of the five materials.
5. Open and render the Perspective viewport using the Render Scene dialog box.
Figure 30.4 shows the resulting cartoon.
FIGURE 30.4
Cartooning made easy with the Ink 'n' Paint material
Using Architectural Materials
If you look in the Material/Map Browser, you'll notice an Architectural material. This material is specifically designed for creating realistic materials that can be applied to buildings and interiors. The Architectural material uses predefined templates to create almost any type of material that you'd find in a building, including ceramic, fabric, metal, glass, stone, wood, and water. The real benefit of using the Architectural materials is how they interact with real-world lights. Using Photometric lights and Radiosity produces realistic results.
Note
If you've selected the mental ray renderer, then the Arch & Design material and the various ProMaterials become available. These materials are a more powerful and extensive set of architectural materials. You can