GLOSSARY
Standard yellow material with metal shading
(Buddha model from Viewpoint Data Labs.)
Metal provides realistic looking metallic surfaces, as well as a variety of organic-looking materials.
Metal mode is different than the other shading modes in several respects. In addition to a specular highlight, metal surfaces have glancing highlights. In addition, metal materials calculate their own specular color, which can vary between the material’s diffuse color and the color of the light. In 3DS MAX, the Specular button is disabled for metal materials.
Because there’s no separate specular highlight, the two shininess spinners react differently. The Shin. Strength spinner still controls intensity, but the Shininess spinner affects both the intensity and size of the specular area.