How to use PBR Textures in 3Ds Max using VRay

3Ds Max PBR Material Setup - A23D

3Ds Max PBR Material Setup

Prerequisites

Material: VrayMtl

Create a new VRayMtl using the Slate Material Editor in 3Ds Max and apply the material to a surface to set up the PBR Material. Since we are using a Metallic/Roughness setup, select Use Roughness under the BRDF section on the Parameter Editor window of the VRayMtl.

Use roughness setting in VRayMtl in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Use roughness setting in VRayMtl in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

UV Coordinates and Mapping

If you Double click any bitmap node in the Slate Material Editor, you will see options for tilling and offset under the Coordinates section on the Parameter Editor window. Here you can set the UV tilling and offset for each map. For PBR Materials, the UV tilling and offset of all maps of material should be the same to get the best results.

UV Map setting in VRayMtl in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

UV Map setting in VRayMtl in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Connecting texture maps to the shader

Albedo/Base Color

The Albedo/Base Color map defines the colour of a surface. Load the Albedo Map through a Bitmap Node. This map should be plugged into the Diffuse Map input of the VRayMtl. If the Ambient Occlusion (AO) is available, then the Albedo map should be multiplied with the Ambient Occlusion map using a Composite node with blending mode set to Multiply.

Albedo/Base Color Map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Albedo/Base Color Map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Ambient Occlusion

The Ambient Occlusion (AO) map can be used to fake soft shadowing in the bumps of a surface. It should be used to create more realistic materials in 3Ds Max. It darkens the tiny shadows on the surface and creates a more realistic result without increasing the render time. If you want to use this map, it should be multiplied from the Albedo/Base Color map using a Composite node with blending mode set to Multiply, with the Ambient Occlusion map being the second layer input, so you can easily control the strength of it with the Opacity slider of the layer on Composite node.

Ambient Occlusion Map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Ambient Occlusion Map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Albedo and AO multiply using Composite node in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Albedo and AO multiply using Composite node in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Metallic/Metalness

The Metallic map defines which parts of the material are metallic, and which are not. It should be plugged into the Metalness input of the VRayMtl.

Metallic Map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Metallic Map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Specular and Specular Level

Specular determines what colour the highlight will be when light hits the surface. Specular Level is a black and white texture that determines how and where the surface will be shiny, with white as the brightest highlight and black as no highlight.

Both of these maps should be multiplied with each other using a Composite node with blending mode set to Multiply and then connected to the Reflection Map input of the VRayMtl shader.

Specular Color and Level setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Specular Color and Level setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Specular Color and Level multiply using Composite node in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Specular Color and Level multiply using Composite node in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Roughness

The Roughness map defines how rough a surface is. It should be plugged into the Reflection Roughness input of the VRayMtl shader. This map is one of the most important maps in PBR Materials.

Roughness map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Roughness map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Opacity

The Opacity map defines where the surface is opaque and where it is transparent. It should be plugged into the Opacity input of the VRayMtl.

Opacity map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Opacity map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Normal

The Normal map defines in which direction a part of a surface is faced, which is used to create detailed shadows and highlights. To connect the Normal Map, we’ll need to create a VRayNormalMap node first. With this node, we’ll be able to control the intensity of the Normal, if needed. Normal Map bitmap node should be plugged into the Normal map input of the VRayNormalMap node, which then should be plugged into the Bump Map input of the VRayMtl shader.

Normal map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Normal map setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Normal map adjustment in VrayNormalMap node in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Normal map adjustment in VrayNormalMap node in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Displacement/Height

The Height/Displacement map can be used to create detailed shadows and highlights on material or to actually displace the geometry of an object. It should be plugged into the Displacement input of the VRayMtl node. You can additionally add a VRayDisplacementMod to the surface to control how much the geometry should be displaced. Or you can multiply the Displacement bitmap with black colour using a composite node and then control the opacity of the black colour layer to control the intensity of displacement. You might need to add subdivisions to your surface to get a better result of displacement.

Height/ Displacementmap setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture - A23D

Height/ Displacementmap setup in 3Ds Max for PBR Texture

Additional Texture Maps

There are a few more texture maps provided by us for particular textures. These texture maps are-

  • Translucency
  • Translucency Roughness
  • Index of Refraction
  • Emissive
  • Clear Coat
  • Clear Coat Roughness
  • Transmissive
  • Transmissive Color
  • Transmissive Radius