This is a short tutorial that explains how to create a stone material in 3ds max without using any textures, only procedural maps. The tutorial has been written for vray, but the same concept can be applied to mental ray as well.

Create a chamfer box and apply a vray material to it. Click the bump slot of the material (in the maps rollout) and choose “Perlin Marble”.

In both slots of the perlin marble parameters choose smoke, and adjust the settings like in the following image:

Now apply a vraydisplacement modifier to the object, choose 3D mapping, set the amount to 5-6cm and drag the previously created perlin marble map on to the texmap slot.

It is important to set the displacement method to 3d mapping, since 2d mapping doesn’t work with procedural maps.

At this point we only need to add something in the diffuse channel. In this case I have added a smoke map with 2 different noise maps for both slots, like in the screen captures bellow:

That’s it.

Some conclusions:
The parameters of each map, don’t have to be exactly the ones that I have used in this tutorial. The important thing is to diversify them as much as possible, so there won’t be any visible repeated patterns in the rendering. That is the reason we have used mixed maps in the first place.
The main disadvantage of using this method is that you need 3d mapping for vray displacement, which implies longer rendering times.

In an effort to keep this tutorial as simple as it can be, I have touched only the diffuse and the bump channels of the material, but if you feel like experimenting more, don’t be afraid to play with other channels as well (especially reflection). You can obtain several materials like various types of stones, concrete, rough terrain, mud etc.
You can also combine 2d raster maps with procedural ones… sky’s the limit.
Here is the 3d max scene that I used for this tutorial (grass maps not included).

If you try this method and obtain some results that you like, I would be happy to see them; feel free to contact me at cgdigest (at) gmail (dot) com

I’m pleased to announce that another extensive 3d models collection was launched on Premium3Dmodels.com. This one contains 128 models suitable for using in interior office renderings.
The main office 3d models collection is divided in 2 categories:

-office clutter 3d models – with 71 models of items that you can usually see on office desks in real life, such as business card holders, pencils, pencil sharpeners, telephones, paper clips, dvd racks etc, and also 3d models of electronic devices such as printers, laptops, routers, projectors, external hard drives and so on.
The best thing about this type of models is that they can be used in any renderings, regardless of the client specifications. Although they are just “scene fillers” they make a huge difference and help you renderings look more real.

-office 3d furniture –  57 3d models of managerial desks, operational desks, receptions, conference tables, storage and lobby furniture.
If your client doesn’t require you to model a specific type of furniture, than this collection can save you a lot of time.

All the models are in “.max” version 9 format and come with the textures (as seen in the previews) and the material settings for vray.
It has become a habit that every time a new product is launched on Premium3Dmodels.com, for a limited amount of time there is a substantial discount, so if you think you may need it in the near future it would be best if you purchase it now.

Bellow are some renderings done using this collection; feel free to check them out and let me know what you think (click on them to view higher res images).

Ivy generator

This is a plugin “grows” ivy on 3d objects. Just place the seed next to the model, click “grow ivy” and let it do the job. If you need it not to grow around some 3d models in your scene, just freeze them. The interface is very simple and intuitive, so you won’t have any trouble finding your way around it. Check out the official page for more details.
http://www.guruware.at/main/

Rayfire

RayFire Tool gives you the ability to fragment, destroy, demolish, wreck, break down, wreak havoc, blow up, burst, detonate, explode, shoot and do other similar things you have always dreamed of to do in Max.
http://www.mirvadim.com/

Vray scatter

VRayScatter let VRay to generate huge amount of objects in array. You can create huge forest areas, cities and much more.
http://www.rendering.ru/index.php/plugins/vrayscatter/

Autograss

A plugin that enables you to create photorealistic grass instantly. There are 11 presets of most commonly met types of grass, so you don’t even need to model anything.
http://www.happy-digital.com/autograss/

RealFlow

This is most probably the best tool for creating dynamic fluids and soft bodies.   It has been used in films like Lord of the Rings 3, Lost, Ice age 2 and many more well known productions.
http://www.realflow.com/index.htm

SolidRocks

This plugin optimizes the vray settings for “faster rendering times and higher quality”.
If you are like me and always feel the need to tweak everything that you can control, than SolidRocks is probably not an option. However, if there are times when you just want to hit render and get it over with, than you should probably check it out.
http://solidrocks.subburb.com/

Madcar

A wonderful plugin that helps you rig and animate a 4 wheel vehicle in 3ds max.
http://www.rendering.ru/index.php/plugins-gallery/madcar/

Ozone 4.0

Using this plugin you can create realistic procedural skies, choosing from up to 100 sky presets and up to 100 cloud shapes.
http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/ozone/ozone_4.0/

GroundWiz

A plugin that creates terrain maps and scatters objects all over it.
http://www.gugila.com/index.html

FumeFX

A plugin that helps you create spectacular effects such as fire or smoke.
http://www.afterworks.com/FumeFX.asp

Thinking Particles

A rule-based particle systems plugin developed by cebas
http://cebas.com/products/products.php?UD=10-7888-35-788&PID=15

Roof designer

As you can guess from the title, this plugin creates roofs with just a few clicks.
You can see a more detailed review in the previous post (creating roofs in 3ds max) or check out the plugin homepage here:
http://www.batzal.com/index.php

Simcloth
One of the most efficient and easy to use free cloth simulator plugin.
http://www.spot3d.com/simcloth/download.html

Ocean Waves
A plugin that generates dynamic ocean surfaces.
http://charles.hollemeersch.net/Projects/24/oceanwaves