Simulation-ready glazing materials, based on manufacturer data
glass2mdl turns the numbers on a glazing manufacturer's cutsheet into MDL materials for Iray in 3ds Max. The output is rigorously tested against measured renders. Glass made with this tool transmits, reflects, and absorbs exactly the light the cutsheet says it should, 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 describe the build-up the way the cutsheet does (lites, thicknesses, substrates, coating placement, any frit) and type the three 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: one material for openings modeled as flat planes.
Solid lites geometry: each lite as a real solid with per-face surfaces, 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 is visible-light appearance for rendering and point-in-time calculations, not thermal or annual daylight analysis. Glass color is a physically sensible estimate from your substrate choice unless the datasheet publishes color data, which you can enter.
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.