What is the best shader to use in Maya for PBR materials?

kevingamerartist

Hi all,

So I've been wondering about this. If you use Maya, what is the best type of shader to use to apply PBR materials to? I've been using the "mia_material_x" shader to apply my PBR materials. Is this a good shader to be using in Maya, or should I be using a different shader, or does it not matter?

Any feedback on this is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

jRocket

Just use the stingray pbr shader. It should be more or less what you would get "in-game", even if its not stingray-based.

kevingamerartist

@jRocket so where is the stingray pbr shader located? Is it located where all the other shaders are?

shaderfx

Yes.
Its called 'Stingray PBS'.
Make sure that ShaderFX plugin is loaded in your Maya plugin manager

kevingamerartist

@shaderfx do I need to download this plugin? I have Maya 2014, but I don't see it in my Plug-in Manager list. Am I able to download or get the plugin for Maya 2014?

kevingamerartist

So I just found out that I need to download Maya 2016 to be able to use the Stingray PBS shader. However is this necessary for me to do, considering that I'm just gonna be using Marmoset Toolbag to render my work?

shaderfx

It is only necessary if you want to use the Stingray PBS inside Maya to preview your PBR material there. If you don't care to see it there, then you don't need to install 2016.

oglu

take a look at the polycount wiki...
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Shaders#Maya_Shaders