Script to remove Global Arch materials

[tricky]

We typically do all our modelling in AutoCAD and file link into Max. This means that all geometry, by default, has a Global Architecture material applied to it. Obviously, we replace these with proper vray materials, but sometimes, things slip through and get forgotten.

This doesn't always cause a problem, but occasionally it causes the lightcache calculation to take forever - in fact, it never seems to complete. If you cancel, the timer keeps ticking and it doesn't quit the render, so the only way is to crap out of max and start again. Joy!

What we have found is that we should choose the Global Arch material in a scene and tell it instead to be a vray material, that way we have no problems.

However, my current project has some 30-40 xref scenes (all very large office buildings) and I wondered if anyone new of a script to automatically go through a bunch of max files and convert/change a material to a vraymaterial rather than manually opening each one and changing it one at a time?

[joconnell]

Run this:

$.material = vraymtl()
or if you want to blank them entirely use
$.material = undefined

with everything selected (note do this before you start doing your materials) - which version of max are you using and what is the name of the material that gets assigned?

[MoonDoggie]

I use my MapLoader script to do this. Very easy to use, support for tons of materials and maps including raytrace etc.

Load up all Architectural Materials and you can load them into the material editor and change them to whatever you want!

http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/map-loader