Simulation-ready glazing materials, based on manufacturer data
glass2mdl turns glazing manufacturer's data into MDL materials for use with Iray in 3ds Max. Glazing materials created with this tool transmit, reflect, and absorb exactly the amount of light that the data sheet describes, and it looks physically correct from both sides. Coated products keep their asymmetric reflections. The fit check shows you the proof before you download.
You build the configuration exactly as the data sheet describes (lites, thicknesses, substrates, coating placement, any frit) and type the three visible light values from the performance table. The tool solves for per-lite material properties whose rendered assembly, including the light bouncing between lites, reproduces those numbers.
Outputs
Planar geometry: Create one material for openings modeled as flat planes.
Solid lites geometry: Creates a multi-material construction for use when each lite is modeled as a real solid, so reflections stack the way real insulated units do. That ZIP includes a 3ds Max script that finds your glazing, tags its faces, and assigns every material for you.
Honesty
This tool outputs material assets for studies requiring accurate visible-light physics for rendering and point-in-time calculations, not thermal or annual daylight analysis. Default glass color options are a physically sensible estimate from your substrate choice. Accuracy can be improved by entering the color data from a manufacturer data sheet.
Limitations, for now
- Outputs are mainly intended for use in Iray+ 3.1 for 3ds Max 2024. However, the outputs are plain MDL 1.6 with no NVIDIA-specific extensions, so other MDL renderers like V-Ray should be able to load them (via VRayMDLMtl), but we have not tested this extensively yet. The bundled apply script sets up Iray+ materials only.
- One coating per glazing unit. If your product has two coatings, the exported glass still matches the data sheet numbers overall; you just cannot set the second coating up separately yet. Support for that is planned.
- One frit pattern, on one surface. In the solid lites workflow the frit comes as its own material: in 3ds Max, you make a thin plane just in front of the fritted surface and apply it there yourself. The script does not handle this, currently.
- Data sheets report light at straight-on incidence only, so behavior at glancing angles follows a standard falloff curve rather than measured data.
- Default color settings are representative, not measured. The tool fits the output materials to your data sheet's visible light values as accurately as possible. Accuracy can be improved by entering exact color data from the manufacturer, when available.
- Currently the output materials are RGB-based rather than the full light spectrum, and the hue comes from your substrate choice. Improved accuracy via spectral rendering support and LBNL International Glazing Database compatibility is planned.
Built by
Jeff has 10 years of experience in lighting design, architectural visualization, and daylight analysis. More experiments at thompsonjeff.com; questions or bugs to jt@thompsonjeff.com.