Open your model in max.
press f12.
under common, go to assign renderer. Change default to mental.
go to renderer tab. Change the minimum and maximum numbers to a high number. (For best quality) I use 64 by 1024. Takes an hour or so to render a fairly decent poly model. Change the type of filter from box to Mitchell.
Close it. Then press m.
Press standard. Change it to mental ray.
For surface, click it, and change it to ambient/reflective.
Close it. Render. I got this when I did it.



This render really shows where the detail is without the unneeded noise in a clay render.

EDIT: Clay render-
Edited by Newbkilla on Apr 24, 2009 at 08:56 PM

u can get the same outcome with default scanline.

Its not called "clay render."

Eh no. Here.

He means using the light tracer that most people have been using.

A default scaline is what I just rendered there. No skylights, no light tracer. The clay render aka slang name uses a scaline too, but with modified lighting.

It is still scale line. Also, the mental ray AO isnt very much different from the scale line AO. The noise is controllable in the light tracer settings.

I personally think this one is better for rendering:
http://www.modacity.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9328

Clay render with omnis-


Clay render with omnis-

Clay render with omnis looks alot better, too bad im too lazy to add some.

There's really no point in doing a Mental Ray tutorial here being that most of the users learn Max to create for HCE not for other forms of digital art. Also the Mental Ray is deep when it comes to the amount of knowledge you need to have in order to understand what's going on. I'd suggest buying Rendering with Mental Ray in 3DS Max if you want to learn.