Dan Abrams, http://folio.superbaka.com
Before explaining the material parameters used in the Maxwell material system, it is important to have a basic understanding of what light is, how it interacts with materials and why a material looks shiny, dull, transparent etc. Please review this information as it will make the parameters in the Maxwell material editor much easier to understand.
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It will be much easier to control the material parameters in Maxwell if you separate in your mind the hue of a color and it's value (brightness). It will be easier if you choose the HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) mode of your color picker if the UI allows it (The Maxwell Studio color picker has this mode).