Reference > Properties >
Material properties

The following sections describe the properties for each material type in Mudbox.

Mudbox Material

Diffuse

  Specifies the base color of the material. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Diffuse channel you specify when painting on a model.

Specular

  Specifies the color of the specular highlight on the material. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Specular channel you specify when painting on a model.

Gloss

  Specifies the size of the specular reflection. The lower the value, the smaller the specular highlight. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Gloss channel you specify when painting on a model.

Incandescence

  Specifies the brightness of the material color independent of the scene lighting. Used to simulate the emission of color from an object independently of other lighting in the scene.

  For example, when the Incandescence property is set to RGB (255, 255, 255), the material appears to emit white light, like a light bulb (even if there are no lights in the scene). The material does not illuminate other models or contribute light to the scene.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Incandescence channel you specify when painting on a model.

Bump Map

  Specifies the file path for the image to be used for the bump map. This map should be based on gray scale values.

  This property uses the image and file path for the Bump Value channel you specify when painting on a model.

Normal Map

  Specifies the file path for the image to be used for the normal map. This map should be based on RGB values.

  This property uses the image and file path for the Normal Value channel you specify when painting on a model.

Reflection Mask

  Specifies the file path for the image to be used for the reflection mask. This property uses the image and file path for the Reflection Mask channel you specify when painting on a model.

Bump Depth

  Controls the height of bumps displaying on the surface when a bump map is applied. Increase the value to make the surface bumpier. Decrease the value to make the surface smoother.

Bump Filter Width

  Specifies the level of filtering performed on a texture used as a bump map. Values greater than 1.0 produce more filtering, making the bumps smoother. Values less than 1.0 produce less filtering, making the bumps appear sharper.

All Channels

  Opacity overrides all channels, causing the surface to effectively disappear.

Reflection Map

  Specifies the file path for the image used as a reflection map. An environment is simulated around the model which appears in the material’s reflection component depending on the value of the Reflection Strength property.

  NoteIf you create an image-based light, the reflection map image is replaced with the image-based light source image. See Image Based Light File.
Reflection Strength

  Controls the visibility of the reflection map. A value of 1 makes the image fully visible and overrides any of the diffuse color on the model. A value of 0 makes the reflection map invisible.

Fresnel Scattering Strength

  Specifies the intensity of the Fresnel glow effect.

Fresnel Refractive Index

  Defines the surface area of the model affected by the Fresnel glow effect. A higher number illuminates only the edges. A lower number illuminates more of the model with the glow effect.

Receive Shadows

  Turns on shadows for the material. At least one scene light must also have Cast Shadows turned on for shadows to appear on a model.

Blur Shadow Edges

  Specifies the softness of shadow edges. The softness of shadow edges is also influenced by the Depth Map Resolution property for the shadow-casting light. Keep these two properties in mind if shadow edge artifacts appear.

Shadow Color

  Specifies shadow color. Colored shadows help to simulate reflected light on self-shadowing colored surfaces, or in simulating the shadow produced by transparent, colored surfaces (for example, colored glass). Default is black.

Coordinate Space

  Specifies the normal map’s coordinate space based on how it was originally extracted. This setting must match the setting used when the map was originally extracted for the normal map to display properly on the model. (If you are unsure, try each option in turn and view the results in the 3D View). Options include:

Tangent

  The coordinate space on a face defined by the normal, tangent, and the binormal.

Object

  Local coordinate space for the model.

World

  Coordinate space for the 3D scene.

Compatibility

  When Coordinate Space is set to Tangent, this sets how the tangent space vectors are calculated so the extracted map is compatible with other 3D applications (left-handed or right-handed). This setting is ignored when Coordinate Space is set to Object or World space. Options are:

Maya

  Defaults to a right-handed tangent space setting.

3ds Max

  Defaults to a left-handed tangent space setting.

Opacity Affects

  Specifies how opacity affects lighting effects. There are two options:

Diffuse Only

  Opacity overrides only the diffuse channel, allowing the transparent surface to continue to show reflections, specularity, bump, and so on. This option should be used when the purpose is to create transparent material like glass or clear plastic.

All Channels

  Opacity overrides all channels, causing the surface to effectively disappear. This option should be used when you want to put a hole in your model.

Mudbox Material (2009)

This section describes the properties for the Mudbox Material that was used as the default material for Mudbox 2009 and Mudbox 2010 versions. It can still be used and is maintained to ensure compatibility purposes with later versions.

Diffuse

  Specifies the base color of the material. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Diffuse channel you specify when painting on a model.

Specular

  Specifies the color of the specular highlight on the material. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Specular channel you specify when painting on a model.

Gloss

  Specifies the size of the specular reflection. The lower the value, the smaller the specular highlight. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Gloss channel you specify when painting on a model.

Specular 2

  An additional specular color that affects the fringes of the specular highlight. Useful for low or oblique lighting situations.

  This property uses the image and file path for the Specular 2 channel you specify when painting.

Gloss 2

  An additional gloss color that affects the size of the outer regions of specular highlight.Useful for low or oblique lighting situations.

  This property uses the image and file path for the Gloss 2 channel you specify when painting on a model.

Bump Value

  Specifies the file path for the image to be used for the bump map. This property uses the image and file path for the Bump Value channel you specify when painting on a model.

Reflection Mask

  Specifies the file path for the image to be used for the reflection mask. This property uses the image and file path for the Reflection Mask channel you specify when painting on a model.

Bump Depth

  Controls the height of bumps displaying on the surface when a bump map is applied. Increase the value to make the surface bumpier. Decrease the value to make the surface smoother.

Bump Filter Width

  Specifies the level of filtering performed on a texture used as a bump map. Values greater than 1.0 produce more filtering, making the bumps smoother. Values less than 1.0 produce less filtering, making the bumps appear sharper.

Reflection Map

  Specifies the file path for the image used as a reflection map. An environment is simulated around the model which appears in the material’s reflection component depending on the value of the Reflection Strength property.

  NoteIf you create an image-based light, the reflection map image is replaced with the image-based light source image. See Image Based Light File.
Reflection Strength

  Controls the visibility of the reflection map. A value of 1 makes the image fully visible and overrides any of the diffuse color on the model. A value of 0 makes the reflection map invisible.

Fresnel Scattering Strength

  Specifies the intensity of the Fresnel glow effect.

Fresnel Refractive Index

  Defines the surface area of the model affected by the Fresnel glow effect. A higher number illuminates only the edges. A lower number illuminates more of the model with the glow effect.

Receive Shadows

  Turns on shadows for the material. At least one scene light must also have Cast Shadows turned on for shadows to appear on a model.

Blur Shadow Edges

  Specifies the softness of shadow edges. The softness of shadow edges is also influenced by the Depth Map Resolution property for the shadow-casting light. Keep these two properties in mind if shadow edge artifacts appear.

Shadow Color

  Specifies shadow color. Colored shadows help to simulate reflected light on self-shadowing colored surfaces, or in simulating the shadow produced by transparent, colored surfaces (for example, colored glass). Default is black.

Display Bump as Normal Map

  This property changes the display of the material’s bump channel to display normal maps. When on, you can import the normal map as a layer into a bump channel on the assigned material to preview the normal map on a model. The default is off. In addition, the Coordinate Space and Compatibility properties must be correctly set to view a normal map.

Coordinate Space

  Specifies the normal map’s coordinate space based on how it was originally extracted. This setting must match the setting used when the map was originally extracted for the normal map to display properly on the model. (If you are unsure, try each option in turn and view the results in the 3D View). Options include:

Tangent

  The coordinate space on a face defined by the normal, tangent, and the binormal.

Object

  Local coordinate space for the model.

World

  Coordinate space for the 3D scene.

Compatibility

  When Coordinate Space is set to Tangent, this sets how the tangent space vectors are calculated so the extracted map is compatible with other 3D applications (left-handed or right-handed). This setting is ignored when Coordinate Space is set to Object or World space. Options are:

Maya

  Defaults to a right-handed tangent space setting.

3ds Max

  Defaults to a left-handed tangent space setting.

Simple Blinn Material

Diffuse

  Specifies the base color of the material. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Diffuse channel you specify when painting on a model.

Specular

  Specifies the color of the specular highlight on the material. Click the color tile to edit using the Color Chooser window.

  Alternatively, this property uses the image and file path for the Specular channel you specify when painting on a model.

Ambient

  Specifies the minimum darkness (ambient RGBA reflectance) of the material.

Shininess

  Specifies the size of the specular reflection. The lower the value, the broader the highlight.

Lit Sphere Material

Lit Sphere

  Specifies the image to be used for the lighting environment for the lit sphere material type. An image is used to calculate the light source and works with any existing scene lights.

Bump Value

  Specifies the file path for the image to be used for the bump map. This item uses the image and file path for the Bump Value channel you specify when painting a bump image on a model.

Bump Depth

  Controls the height of bumps displaying on the surface when a bump map is applied. Increase the value to make the surface bumpier. Decrease the value to make the surface smoother.

Bump Filter Width

  Specifies the level of filtering performed on a texture used as a bump map. Values greater than 1.0 produce more filtering, making the bumps smoother. Values less than 1.0 produce less filtering, making the bumps appear sharper.

Reflection Map

  Specifies the file path for the image used as a reflection map. An environment is simulated around the model which appears in the material’s reflection component depending on the value of the Reflection Strength property.

  NoteIf you create an image-based light, the reflection map image is replaced with the image-based light source image. See Image Based Light File.
Reflection Strength

  Controls the visibility of the reflection map. A value of 1 makes the image fully visible and overrides any of the diffuse color on the model. A value of 0 makes the reflection map invisible.

Reflection Mask

  Specifies the image to be used for the reflection mask. Uses the file path for the Reflection Mask channel you specify when painting.

Fresnel Scattering Strength

  Specifies the intensity of the Fresnel glow effect.

Fresnel Refractive Index

  Defines the surface area of the model affected by the Fresnel glow effect. A higher number illuminates only the edges. A lower number illuminates more of the model with the glow effect.

CgFX-based Material

The CgFX-based Material is an example CgFX material you can copy and use as an example for creating your own custom materials in Mudbox. A README file containing information on how this material is constructed is provided in the following directory:

- (Windows) <drive>:\My Documents\Mudbox\2011.5\data\Effects
- (Mac OS X) /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/2011.5/data/effects
- (Linux) /home/<username>/Mudbox/2011.5/data/Effects

Related topics

Create and apply materials