Would like to change Slate Material Background Color

[RobH2]

I can't seem to find a way to change the color of the "View" background for the Slate Material Editor in 'Customize' or anywhere else. The background is very, very light gray and when a node is selected and outlined, the outline is in white and it's nearly impossible to see. I'd like to make the background a darker gray.

Anyone know how to change this. It is buried in an .ini or configuration file somewhere?

[BenBisares]

You can change the Slate Material backgroudn after a fashion. It's based on the UI background colour. Perform the following:

    -Customize > Customize User Interface... > Colors (Tab)

        -Scheme: Customer Colors
        -Change the "Background" to your desired colour
        -Click on "Apply Colors Now"

You can see the results of my fabulous Background colour 😉

That being said, I'll see if there's a way to separate the Slate background colour from the UI Background colour.

[RobH2]

Hi Ben, Yea, I know about that. However, it's sort of a global change and it changes the background for everything. If you go too dark then you lose contrast with text and have to go change that. After awhile you find that you've completely altered the comfortable colors you've become accoustomed to. 

What I'd like is what you said at the end. I'd like to be able to "just" alter the slate View background if possible. I know sometimes it's a tweak in a configuration file somewhere and am not afraid to do that. I plunk around in them now and again. I've had Max since V1 so I'm not new to forcing it to behave. 

[RobH2]

Did you guys ever figure out where the parameters for the Slate Background are stored. I'd like to be able to change it instead of doing a "Global" change that completely changes the rest of my interface just to adjust one panels background.

[ekahennequet]

@BenBisares , my eyes!

@RobH2 , I'm not sure that you can change it if it's tied to global color scheme. I've looked, but I don't see a setting for it.

[Steve_Curley]

If they're linked to the "Custom Colors" then they won't be stored - at least not separately. Why store them again when they're already stored as part of the main config?

If you change your normal Windows colors then all apps which use them change automatically without having to store anything, similarly anything inside Max which uses those Custom Colors will change globally within Max but won't be stored separately.
One of the Devs would have to confirm if that is, in fact, the case.

[spacefrog_]

I think this is hard-coded to whatever background color Max itself is using

[RobH2]

Hi guys. Thanks for all of your input and looking into it. I was being hopeful. I can certainly live, and live well with what I have. I was just wanting to to a small tweak. I'm always tweaking.

No big problem and thanks again for the feedback. I look forward to Max 2015 no matter what the "secrets" are...

[spacefrog_]

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@RobH2 wrote:

No big problem and thanks again for the feedback. I look forward to Max 2015 no matter what the "secrets" are...

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So you still got my unedited post ?

I'll be damned about that leak ....

[darawork]

I would suggest opening up your material slate editor in the upper right hand corner each time.

To that corner of your monitor affix the disired spotlight gel of your choosing.

Or a Windows shell overlay that adjusts the gamma/hue/sat of one area of the monitor to a disired level or saturation and keep your window there.

Or a dual monitor setup, with the colour/contrast all set to see only the material editor, in full screen.

[RobH2]

That's an interesting workaround. I do use 3 monitors but I have my palates neatly arranged on them and they are all color corrected with a hardware puck so I don't think I'll mess with that. I've managed to tweak the global color palate enough to see what I was after. Slate puts a dotted white line around selected nodes and on a white background in Slate, that dotted line is invisible of course. With a small color tweak that didn't change what I'm used to too much I'm ok with it as I was able to get a light gray Slate background. Now I have some contrast. I was just being hopeful that I could go to a configuration file and change some RGB parameters. No problem.

Finally, I didn't undertand your post about the "leak." Maybe I wasn't supposed to.

Thanks again...

[darawork]

Leeks should appear RAL 6016 (Hex 1E5945) on your calibrated screens.

That is a good starting point.

[RobH2]

I appreciate you help darawork. Also, I'm chuckling at the specs to your system in the signature...if only....I hope that machine includes air bags!

[darawork]

3DSMaya 2019 is well good, but still needs some major bugs ironed out.

Hopefully SP28 will clear them up.