Modeling the Glassware

Open Scene.max and resave it as Glass.max.

Open the display panel and hide all the objects in the scene.

Activate the Front view and click Zoom Extents All. Then turn on the 2D snap tool.

Create a line for the flask profile using the X and Y axes for reference. Make sure to have both the initial type and drag type to Corner points:

Open the Modify panel and choose Vertex sub-object. Click Refine and then add two more vertices to the side of the flask:

Hide the flask and then create the beaker in its place. Use as few vertices as possible:

Unhide the flask profile and position it to one side:

Apply a Lathe modifier to each profile. Give each container enough segments to make its surface appear smooth:

Name the flask KI Flask and the beaker Beaker. Next, we will prepare the flask to be mapped with both glass and a label.

Begin by assigning a different material ID to the faces in the center of the flask that will later become the label.

Apply and Edit Mesh modifier to the flask. Click Sub-Object Face and select the faces in a band across the center of the flask:

In the top viewport, deselect the back faces of the label by holding down the ALT key.

In the Modify panel, enter 2 in the Material ID field:

From the Edit menu, choose Select Invert:

In the Modify panel, enter 1 in the Material ID field:

Click Select By ID and enter 2 in the selection field:

All the faces with material ID 2 are re-selected:

Apply a UVW Map modifier to the flask with the Face Sub-Object level is still active:

Note that an asterisk appears next to the name of the map modifier to indicate that it has been applied to a sub-object selection:

Finally, shift-clone the flask with the Move transform by holding down the shift key and dragging the flask to the right:

Name this flask Pb(NO3)2 Flask.

In the camera view, right-click on the Camera viewport label and enable Show Safe Frame. Reposition the camera, flasks and/or beakers so that they fit within the green frame:

Open the Display command panel and click Hide by Hit. Click each of the flasks so that they disappear from view.

Creating and Applying Glass Materials

Open the Material Editor and select a new material sample. Right-click on the sample and choose 5 X 3 Sample Windows. The palette is redrawn to display more samples:

Click Get Material. In the Material/Map Browser, choose Browse From: Material Library. Then click Open.

Select RayTraced_01.mat and then click Open. A library of ray-traced materials is loaded into the Material Editor.

Select ClearGlass from the list of materials by double-clicking:

Make the following adjustments to the material:

• Uncheck SuperSample.
• Uncheck Transparency and set it to 100.
• Set Specular Level to 1000.
• Set Glossiness to 90.
• Swap the Reflection map with the Environment Map.
• Rename the ClearGlass material "Beaker."

Before

After

Next, click the Environment map button.

• In the Falloff Parameters rollout, click the map button next to the black color swatch.
• Drag the Purple Gradient map to the first map button.
• Click the second map button.
• In the Material/Map Browser, choose Bitmap and then choose Tutash.jpg.

Before

After

Navigate back up to the material level. Close the Raytrace Basic Parameters rollout and open the Raytracer Controls. Raytrace materials render very slowly. For speed of development, you can make a few adjustments.

In the Raytracer Controls rollout, uncheck Raytrace Reflections:

Click the Options button. In the Options dialog box, uncheck Global Antialiasing:

Close the dialog box. Then apply the material to the Beaker and render the scene:

You might want to add a little self-illumination to the Table material and labels to lighten up their darkest values. I suggest you try around 20% in the Blinn Basic Parameters rollout. You may also need adjust the position and intensity of your lights a bit. Render the scene after every adjustment until you get something you like:

Next, unhide the KI Flask.

• In the Material Editor, copy the Beaker material by dragging the sample to a new sample slot.
• To the bottom right of the sample palette, click the material Type button where it currently says Raytrace.
• In the Material/Map Browser, choose New > Multi/Sub-Object.

When queried, keep the old material as a sub-material. Then set the number of materials to 2.

Name the material "KI Flask."

Click the Beaker material button in the material ID 1 slot. This takes you down a level in the material tree, into the material settings. Rename the Beaker material to Flask. In the Raytrace Basic Parameters rollout, check 2-Sided and change index of refraction to 1.25:

Click Go Forward to Sibling. This takes you to the material for the label.

In the Blinn Basic Parameters rollout, set self-illumination to 70%:

Click the Diffuse map button. In the Material/Map Browser, choose Bitmap. Navigate to your KI label and double-click it:

Click Show Map in Viewport. Name the map KI Label.

Navigate up one level and name the material KI Label as well.

Assign the material to the KI flask. Then render the scene:

Copy the KI Flask material to the next material sample slot and rename the material Pb(NO3)2 Flask. In the standard material that is assigned to material ID 2, replace the texture map with one like this:

Unhide the Pb(NO3)2 Flask and assign the material to it.

Render the scene from the camera view:

For your final rendering of the day, select any raytrace material in the material editor and open its Raytracer Controls rollout. Click the Options button. In the Raytracer Options dialog box, enable Global Antialiasing and close the dialog box:

The final result will be smoother but much slower to render:

Save your scene.

Congratulations! That was a pretty advanced set of materials. Now you are ready to mix the chemicals.