Chaos Corona Forum

Chaos Corona for 3ds Max => [Max] I need help! => Topic started by: John.McWaters on 2020-12-10, 00:43:01

Title: A couple questions about reflection color
Post by: John.McWaters on 2020-12-10, 00:43:01
Aside from metals such as gold and other metallic surfaces, is it correct to say that most materials should be set to have a white reflection color?

And if the reflection color is set to white, how is it supposed to behave when a non-white light is reflected off the surface?

Title: Re: A couple questions about reflection color
Post by: maru on 2020-12-10, 17:40:55
When the reflection color is white = colorless = the light that hits the surface will be reflected with the same color. So if a red ball is reflected in a blue mug with white reflection, then the reflected ball will be sill red.

When the reflection color is non-white = colored = the light that hits the surface will be filtered.

In reality if there is a single material, it always (almost always?) has colorless reflection.
If a reflection is colored, it is usually a thin layer of some kind of colored medium. Imagine white plastic covered with a very thin layer of yellow transparent coating. The reflections on such objects will be yellow, but technically that is not a single material.
Title: Re: A couple questions about reflection color
Post by: John.McWaters on 2020-12-11, 03:01:32
Thank you Maru, great explanation! This is how I expected the color work.