Using Superellipse PBR Textures in 3ds Max + Redshift

This guide will walk you through installing the Superellipse PBR Importer plugin and loading your texture packs into 3ds Max as fully wired RS Standard Materials — in seconds.

What You'll Need

Before getting started, make sure you have the following:

• 3ds Max 2025 or newer
• Redshift 2026.7.1 or newer
• Windows only
• The Superellipse PBR Importer for 3ds Max. Download it here
  

Tested on 3ds Max 2027 and Redshift 2026.7.1. Earlier versions should work but have not been formally verified.

Why the Plugin Exists

3ds Max has no native PBR importer for Redshift. When you purchase a Superellipse texture pack, you receive a folder of image maps — basecolor, roughness, metallic, normal, AO, height, and more. Without the plugin, combining those into a properly configured RS Standard Material means manually creating bitmap shaders, setting colour spaces on every map, wiring each connection, and configuring channels like clearcoat, anisotropy, glass, and displacement from scratch.

The Superellipse PBR Importer reduces the entire process to two clicks: open the menu, select a folder, done.

Step 1 — Install the Plugin

Make sure 3ds Max is open before running the installer.

Download and unzip the file. Inside you will find Superellipse_PBR_Importer_3dsMax.mzp — drag this directly into any 3ds Max viewport. Alternatively, go to Scripting > Run Script and select the .mzp file.

An install confirmation dialog will appear. Click OK.

The plugin copies itself to your 3ds Max startup scripts folder automatically and registers the Superellipse menu entry. No manual folder navigation is required.

Restart 3ds Max. When it reopens, a Superellipse entry will appear in the main menu bar.

Updating to a newer version: drag the new .mzp file into the viewport and click OK — it overwrites the previous version automatically. Restart 3ds Max and you are on the latest version.

Note: The Superellipse menu typically appears around 10 seconds into startup, after 3ds Max has finished loading its menu system. This is normal behaviour for MaxScript-based plugins.

Step 2 — Import a Material

In 3ds Max, go to Superellipse > Redshift - Import Material.

A folder picker will appear. Navigate to your Superellipse texture folder — the one containing the image files directly inside it — and select it. The plugin remembers your last used location between sessions, so subsequent imports are even faster.

After selecting a folder, you have two additional optons. 

1. Assign material to the currently selected object
2. Enabling displacement

Press Import - The import runs immediately. Give it a few seconds to import. A confirmation dialog appears when the material is ready, showing how many maps were found and how many channels were wired.

The material is named automatically from the folder name. For example, Boucle_Fabric_Willow_4K becomes Boucle Fabric Willow 4K — Superellipse.

That's it! The material is fully mapped and ready to use.

Housekeeping Note: Keep your unzipped texture folders in a permanent location before importing — the material references wherever the files are at the time of import, so moving them afterwards will disconnect the textures.

Step 3 — Applying the Material

Once imported, open the Slate Material Editor (press M). The material appears as a node set on the canvas and is also listed under Scene Materials in the left panel once if it was assigned to an object at import.

To apply the material to an object if not done via the import option:

1. Select the target object in the 3ds Max viewport
2. In the Slate Material Editor, right-click the material node and choose Assign Material to Selection
   

All texture nodes in the graph use the SE_ prefix for easy identification — SE_BaseColor, SE_Roughness, SE_Normal, and so on.

Finding a material again later: In the Slate Material Editor, expand Scene Materials on the left panel. Alternatively, search "Super" in the top search bar to find already imported materials.

Every material currently assigned to at least one object is listed there. Double-click any entry to open its node graph for editing.

Important Note: If a material has not yet been assigned to any object, it will only appear as a node set on the Slate canvas and will not show in Scene Materials. Assign it to at least one object to keep it permanently accessible. (For batch imports this is handled automatically — each material is assigned to a hidden holder object behind the scenes.)

Step 4 — Adjusting Tiling

In 3ds Max, tiling is controlled at the object level rather than inside the material. To adjust how the texture tiles across a surface:

1. Select the object
2. Go to the Modify panel (the arched curve icon 2nd from the left)
3. Click the Modifier List dropdown and choose UVW Map
4. Set the projection type — eg. Box works for most simple interior block objects
5. Adjust the Length, Width, and Height values to control tiling scale

One UVW Map modifier controls the scale of all maps in the material simultaneously.

Step 5 — Batch Import

To import multiple materials at once, use Superellipse > Redshift - Import Batch.

It is advised to clear the Node graph in the Material Slate Editor before and after batch import to avoid a busy Slate Editor UI. If a large batch is imported, simply Ctrl + A, delete the nodes in the editor. The materials will be accessible still as outlined below.

A brief note will appear first, reminding you to select the parent folder — not one of the texture set folders inside it. For example, if your sets are at Textures\Fabric\Boucle_4K\ and Textures\Fabric\Tweed_4K\, select the Fabric folder.

To select the parent folder: either click it once to highlight it and press Select Folder, or navigate inside it so no subfolder is selected and press Select Folder from within it.

The plugin scans one level of subfolders and presents a scrollable checklist of everything it finds. Tick the sets you want — use Select All or Deselect All for large libraries — then click Import Selected.

The options dialog also lets you enable displacement across all imported sets simultaneously.

A summary dialog confirms how many materials were created and flags any that failed.

How imported materials are stored and found

Each imported material is assigned to its own hidden sphere, all parented under a single object called Superellipse Materials in the scene tree. This keeps every material listed in the Scene Materials panel at all times, giving you a persistent material tray without cluttering your working scene.

To use a material: open the Slate Material Editor (M), expand Scene Materials on the left panel, or search "Super". Drag any material onto your object in the main 3ds Max viewport. Alternatively right click, Assign to object. 

If the materials arent showing after batch import, right click, Update

Double clicking the preview sphere will bring it onto the node viewport for refinement if needed. Be mindful large graphs may overlap, so working with a clean Material Slate is always advisable.

Tips & Best Practices

Activating Displacement

If a height map is detected, the plugin wires it automatically. Displacement is off by default — tick Enable Displacement in the options dialog at import time to activate it immediately, or adjust the displacement scale on the SE_Displacement node in the material editor after import.

The displacement Scale defaults to 1. Adjust the Scale along with Min and Max displacement values in the material to control intensity per your scenes scale and geometry.

For finer Redshift displacement, on your 3ds Max object, add a Redshift Mesh Parameters modifier. Here you can fine tune the detailing of the displacement accordingly.

SSS & Transmission — Glass, Wax, Resins

For complex transmissive materials, the plugin applies sensible defaults — but understanding the key variables will help you dial in the right look for your lighting, scene, and geometry.

Transmission Depth — controls how deep the colour penetrates the material. Low values place colour close to the surface; higher values create more optical depth. Scale this to match the physical size of your object in the scene. Default is 0.4cm when glass material is imported.

Dispersion — splits light into spectral colours as it passes through the material. 0 is off, around 10 suits standard glass, 70 approximates diamond. Leave at 0 for most clear glass.

Subsurface Radius — controls how far light scatters beneath the surface per RGB channel, which determines the colour bleed of the effect. The default is a neutral grey. Tint individual channels for skin, wax, resin, or any material with a characteristic subsurface colour cast.

SSS Scale — controls the overall softness and reach of the subsurface effect. Higher values make the material appear softer and more translucent; lower values make it denser and more opaque. Default is 2.0. Scale up for wax or milk, down for rubber or dark resin.

Anisotropy

Anisotropy controls the directional stretching of reflections — common in brushed metals, carbon fibre, and fabrics with intricate thread level reflections.

Full sets (weight + angle maps)
When both an anisotropic weight map and an anisotropic angle map are present, both are wired automatically with the maps driving the respective parameter value.

Angle Map Only
Some Superellipse texture sets include only a single anisotropy angle map. In this case the plugin sets a default anisotropy weight of 0.8. To adjust, open the material and locate the Anisotropy value under Reflection. Increase toward 1.0 for a stronger effect, decrease toward 0 to soften it.

Clearcoat weight — 0.9 — (Carbon Fiber, Laquered wood, Car paint etc). Applied when clearcoat colour or roughness maps are found but no weight map. Gives a visible clearcoat effect out of the box. Adjust in the Material node under the "Coat" tab if needed.

Normal Strength — If the normal map is too dominant for your scene, you can alter the intensity of the height simulation by lowering the "Height Scale" value on the SE_NormalMod node.

Supported Maps

The plugin automatically detects and wires the following maps when present in your texture folder:

Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, Ambient Occlusion, Height / Displacement, Opacity, Emission, Specular, Anisotropic Weight, Anisotropic Angle, Clearcoat Weight, Clearcoat Colour, Clearcoat Roughness, Transmission Weight, Transmission Colour, Subsurface Weight, Subsurface Colour

Troubleshooting

The Superellipse menu does not appear after restart — allow up to 60 seconds for 3ds Max to fully load its menu system. If it is still missing, open the MAXScript Listener (F11) and run SE_EnsureMenu() — this re-registers the menu callback and the entry will appear on the next restart. If the problem persists, re-run the .mzp installer.

Material warnings or errors appear in the Slate Material Editor — this typically occurs when the active renderer does not match the material type. RS Standard Materials require Redshift to be the active renderer. If you switch to Corona, Arnold, or V-Ray mid-session, materials in the Slate canvas may show compatibility warnings or render incorrectly in the preview sphere. This is expected behaviour — the materials themselves are unaffected. Switch the active renderer back to Redshift via Render Setup (F10) to resolve the warnings and restore accurate previews.

No maps found — confirm that you selected the folder containing the texture images directly inside it, not a parent folder above them. The MAXScript Listener (F11) will show which files were scanned and which were skipped, including the full folder path used.

Unzipped folder not detected — some unzip tools create an extra folder level inside the download, for example FolderName\FolderName\images.png instead of FolderName\images.png. The plugin detects and resolves this automatically when the inner folder name matches the outer one. If the names differ, navigate one level deeper when selecting the folder.

Textures appear missing after import — the material references the original location of your texture folder. If you have moved, renamed, or deleted that folder since importing, 3ds Max will no longer find the image maps. Re-run the plugin pointing to the new folder location to reimport fresh.

Material is not visible in Scene Materials — Scene Materials only shows materials currently assigned to at least one object. For single imports, assign the material to an object and it will appear. For batch imports, the holder sphere handles this automatically.

Displacement has no effect — check that the scale on the SE_Displacement node is not zero. If you imported without ticking Activate Displacement, the node is wired but the scale is set to 0. Set it to a positive value to activate it.

Normal map looks inverted — bumps appear as dents — this is unlikely with standard Superellipse texture sets, as the plugin applies the correct OpenGL orientation for Redshift automatically via the SE_NormalMod node.

Colours look washed out or roughness looks wrong — this is a colour space issue. The plugin sets colour spaces automatically on all imported materials. If setting up a material manually: Base Colour and Emission maps should use automatic / sRGB; all other maps (Roughness, Metalness, Normal, Height, AO, Opacity, Anisotropy) should use gamma 1.0 (Linear). Setting a data map to sRGB, or a colour map to Linear, is the most common cause of incorrect material response in Redshift.

Batch import finds 0 sets — confirm you selected the parent folder containing your texture set folders, not one of the set folders itself. The batch tool scans exactly one level of subfolders. Sets nested deeper will not be found.

The Scripting Editor asks to reload the file after installing — click Yes. The installer already loaded the script into this session. The editor is simply notifying you that the file on disk was changed.

The material renders incorrectly in Arnold or another renderer —RS Standard Materials are designed for Redshift only. When rendered with Arnold, V-Ray, or another engine, 3ds Max uses an approximation. Switch the active renderer to Redshift via Render Setup (F10) to see the material as intended.

A WARN line appears in the MAXScript Listener — WARN lines mean a specific property name was not found on your installed version of Redshift. The import continues and all other channels are wired correctly. Copy the Listener output and send it to support@superellipse.co with your Redshift version number.

Questions?

If you run into anything not covered here, reach out at support@superellipse.co and include the name of the texture pack you were importing, along with your 3ds Max and Redshift version numbers.