Autodesk 12812-051462-9011 User Guide 3 - Page 720

NOTE In 3D modeling, the term "shader" typically refers to an algorithm that specifies how a surface responds to light. (The shaders for standard 3ds Max fall into this category.) With the mental ray renderer, "shader" has a more general sense of any algorithm used in rendering. The mental ray renderer on page 6230 can render most types of 3ds Max materials and maps. See 3ds Max Materials in mental ray Renderings on page 6239. In addition, if you have enabled mental ray extensions (see mental ray Preferences on page 7787), you can apply a variety of shaders to materials. Materials designed for use with the mental ray renderer have specific components to which you can assign a shader. And for standard 3ds Max material types, the mental ray Connection rollout on page 5385 lets you add mental ray shading. WARNING When you use the scanline renderer, mental ray shaders typically appear as black or white surfaces, or they are ignored entirely. You assign a mental ray shader the same way you do a map. In the Material/Map Browser on page 5290, mental ray shaders appear with a yellow icon, instead of the green icon used for maps. mental ray maps in the browser's list are shown with yellow icons. The shaders listed in the Browser depend on which type of shader component you have chosen in the Material Editor. For example, when you assign a Surface shader, the Browser lists a variety of shaders and standard 3ds Max maps. But when you assign a more special-purpose Contour shader, the Browser lists only those shaders that generate contour lines. mental ray Shaders | 5975