No Lighting (3D MAX 8)

[CoreyArt]

Hi, I was wondering how do you get your model to look like all gray with no lightings effects and such. Is it a surface light? When I use surface light it seems to render extremly slow. Here's an example of the look I'm trying to go for in my lighting.
http://files.turbosquid.com/Preview/Content_on_11_3_2003_09_04_26/1.jpge9a28687-6829-4fc7-80e3-457df3cc0b3c.jpgLarge.jpg
http://files.turbosquid.com/Preview/Content_on_11_3_2003_09_04_26/6.jpg16175082-644a-40f1-a77f-725843105191.jpgLarge.jpg

Thank you very much.

[RockstarKate]

That render was made using a skylight and light tracer.
Apply a plain grey material to your model. Change the environment color to light grey or whatever you want. Create a plane under your model to accept shadows. Make a material by changing "Standard" to "Matte Shadow" Now your plane will be invisible, but it will accept shadows.
Create a skylight in your scene. (Doesn't matter where.)
Now open the rendering menu(F10) go to Advanced Lighting tab and from the drop down menu, choose light tracer.
Your render time will go up when you do this, but it will look cool. :)

[shikav4]

Theres no need to apply a MatteShadow material. You can just make the ground big enough to cover the background (even the image you posted does not use a MatteShadow material). You could use Mental ray instead Light tracer to get faster and better results.

To use Mental Ray(MR):
1. Set up ur model and the ground.
2. Then add a skylight to the scene.
3. Go to the rendering dialog and select MR as the rendered.
4. Go to Indirect Illumination and then turn on Final Gather.
5. And render. You will get the same results as in the picture.

[CoreyArt]

How do I make mental ray my main render, I'm in the render settings, but and I am in the Rendered tab, but I dont see it.

[Jorg40]

Go to the Commons tab and scroll down, and choose the render you want to use.

[ArcaDe]

check the helptab. theres a thread about "clay render" aswell u should check it