SimbiontMAX 2.5 User Guide

SimbiontMAX example render.  Sphere - Pearl shader with Sea Coral bump map.  Teapot - Metallic Paint shader. Torus - Thin Film shader with Tech bump map. Torus Knot - Sketch shader.

Welcome to the SimbiontMAX online User Guide. This guide tells you how to use the SimbiontMAX plugins for 3ds max (R) (versions 3.1 and 4) and the procedural Shaders, 3D Maps, and 3D Materials.

    Plugins - SimbiontMAX includes two texture plugins, one Map and one Material.  These plugins work by loading in procedural texture description files and recreating the shaders (.dsts) or maps (.dstc) in 3ds max.

    NOTE: SimbiontMAX 2.1 is not compatible with 1.x versions of the Simbiont.  If you have scenes that are dependent on SimbiontMAX 1.x, do not uninstall your earlier version of SimbiontMAX.  These two versions will not conflict with each other.
     

    Content - Shaders, maps and materials for SimbiontMAX are available from the DarkTree Repository (see a description of these textures below). To download any or all of these quality DarkTrees, go to www.darksim.com.  There, you will find a link to the DarkTree Repository on both the front page and Support page.

    • Shaders - Shaders change the way a surface is rendered by changing how the surface reacts to light. All shaders must be loaded through the SimbiontMAX Material plugin.
       
    • Maps - Maps are a very versatile DarkTree of a single type (i.e., bump) and can be adjusted to fit many looks.  All maps must be loaded through the SimbiontMAX Map plugin.
       
    • Materials - The DarkTree Repository has a large collection of materials. They are fully textured and shaded and can produce very realistic results.  All materials must be loaded through the SimbiontMAX Material plugin.
       
    • More - SimbiontMAX can load any .dsts, .dstc, .dstp, or .dstb file produced by DarkTree 2.0 or 2.5.  More shaders and procedural materials can often be found on the Internet, or if your studio has DarkTree 2.0 or 2.5 users, they can build custom shaders for you.
      Note: DarkTree1.x .dst files will not work with SimbiontMAX 2.  DarkTree 2.5 can upgrade .dst files so that SimbiontMAX 2 can read them.

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