3DS Max 2019 - Physical Material - Water

[JohnHolder]

I am having issues trying to make nice looking water in 3ds max with the ART engine ( or any )

2017 and earlier - the basic material was awesome - looked great.  Just drop it on the object and boom nice looking water in the render.

2018 and on - it just looks horrible.  I cannot for the life of me get it working well.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Pre 2018 image added.  I am trying to get something similar to this.

Edit : most of my modeling is originally done in Plant 3D or Inventor.  Then I move things into 3ds max to try to make a nice looking render for clients.

[hagen.deloss · Accepted solution]

Hello @JohnHolder

Thanks for bringing your question to the forums! I have a few recommendations for you using the ART renderer, but I also highly recommend mental ray, here is a download for that plugin from Nvidia.

I have attached a scene (made in 3DS Max 2019) with 2 small pools of water in them. One is using a water material preset, and the other is using a combination of a glass material and a noise deformer on a plane mesh. Go ahead and dissect the scene and see the material settings I applied. Let me know if I can further explain any water rendering techniques using any of the rendering options in 3DS Max.

Also here is another thread with a few water rendering options explained. 

I hope this information helps, talk to you soon!

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[hagen.deloss]

Hi @JohnHolder

I wanted to check back and see if my post helped you with your question? It would be super helpful if you could add a post with how you decide to proceed, and your results. That way other Community members can benefit from your process.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.