This is a detailed dive into some basics of Glass material and the Dielectric shader in mental ray. Worth a look when you’re in the mood for a lecture.
Glass Physics_Phen in 3dsMax
For readers “too used” to using raytrace glass this tutorial will seem quite alien in the beginning, and the methodology of modeling the objects utilizing these two materials will definitely appear even more alien. Both the Dielectric Material Shader and the Glass (Physics_Phen) are closely related to each other, though technically the glass ((physics_phen) also known as mental ray glass) is not a shader.
By TomDArch May 30, 2010 - 4:44 am
Hmmm… I’m using Design 2011 (and I’m pretty much a noob), and something seems to have happened to the dielectric material used in the linked tutorial. The downloaded files work, but you can’t follow the instructions currently.
I get the point about the glass/air, water/air, and glass/water surfaces each having their own index of refraction. I wish I understood better how to use the current 2011 materials to achieve the same effect.