Issue:
You have just installed new Autodesk software, but the materials libraries seem to be missing. This problem was reported with the Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 product installation, but could occur with other Autodesk products or versions.
Solution:
- Re: 3dsMax 2013 Material Library Issue This is an age old (well, several versions anyway) problem. 3dsmax.mat is, as you found, available for downlaod, the problem is that it uses image files which are only available on/in the 'Samples' DVD/download.
- Free Download Resources for provide 3ds max, cinema 4d, blender, maya, sketchup, vray plugin materials Sharing Resources collection.
The.vismat Material Collection contains 140 high quality.vismat materials for use with VRay for SketchUp and VRay for Rhino, most of which are new and not included in the standard 'Sample Materials' distribution. A wide range of material types are included such as the following. Free Download (34.9 MB) Click here.
3Ds Max
The Autodesk Material Libraries are shared libraries installed with Autodesk products such as Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit and 3ds Max.
The Material Libraries are installed by default (unless you deselect the option) when you install 3ds Max. If one of the other applications is already installed, the material libraries might be installed already.
Firstly, change the render solution from Scanline (Default) to one of the others provided or installed separately (Mental Ray, Arnold, VRay) the Render Setup options.
Then set up a material as normal. The library materials are now visible.
If the Material Libraries seem to be missing after a new installation, you can locate the installers for the libraries in your install files for your Autodesk software and run them individually. These installers will let you change, repair, or remove library installations.
- Downloaded the complete Autodesk product installer using the Autodesk Virtual Agent (AVA), the Download Now method, or the Browser Download method. To extract the product installation content from Browser or AVA downloaded installer, double click on the product installer .exe file.
- Locate the Material Libraries installation files for your software on your computer or install media by searching for Library*.msi. Typically material library .msi file can be found in corresponding folders in the extracted product installer ContentADSKMaterials folder (e.g. for AutoCAD 2017 it would be C:AutodeskAutoCAD_2017_English_Win_64bit_r1_dlmContentADSKMaterials).
- Double click the files you want to install to launch the installation process. If you have more than one Autodesk product on your computer, you may see several library files. Install the versions that correspond with the software you're currently using.
Note: If you used Install Now to install your Autodesk software from Autodesk Account, you may not have installation files on your computer.
Note: 3DS Max specific: To see the Autodesk Material Library and the mental ray specific shaders, enable NVIDIA mental ray as renderer in the Render Setup).