Composite Texture in viewport

[campion_kirkham]

I have a material with a composite texture as the diffuse. If I use Advanced material rendering or Show Realistic Material in Viewport for the material, the layers of the composite will display with the appropriate blending mode, but will not respond to multiple UV channels (in this case a decal on channel 2.) If I use Basic material rendering or Show Shaded Material in Viewport for the composite, it will respond correctly to the UV channels, but will not display with the any blending mode.

I'm finding bits and pieces of info about this in other posts, but they are older and it's a bit unclear. Is there any way to see both the blending mode and the unwrap at the same time and what is causing the issue?

[casey_hawley]

Long timers have dealt with the inconsistencies between Max material previews, the viewport, and render output for at least 20 years. Especially those materials like Composite, or anything that allows layers. One of the many rendering packages MIGHT do all of this correctly, but chances are something will have display issues. 

I suggest that you use the settings that show the UV channels correctly as that is the least distracting while working. When you set up your material, hopefully the preview is good enough to give you an idea of how it will look at render. If not, do some testing to get an idea of how differently it renders from the preview, then adjust the material until it renders as you wish. The more you do this, the more the rendered look of the material will stick in your head and the previews become less distracting.