---
title: "Shaders"
canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/DOCSGUIDE/113291681/Shaders"
format: markdown
---
### What does Shader mean in different platforms?

A shader is a bit of computer code that is commonly used to describe how a surface will be rendered. It takes some inputs (textures, vertices, view angles, etc.), does some changes to them, then tells the game renderer to render them.

 

**Max: **For a standard material, the shader is the algorithm that controls how the material responds to light. Shaders especially control how highlights appear. They also provide a material's color components, and control its opacity, self-illumination, and other settings. Shaders are often named for their inventors; they can also be named for the effect they provide.

**Maya:** In Maya shaders are materials. <span style="color: #212121">When you create any objects, Maya assigns a default </span>*shader*<span style="color: #212121"> (also called </span>*material*<span style="color: #212121">) to them called Lambert1, which has a neutral gray color. The shader (material) allows your objects to render and display properly. If no shader is attached to a surface, an object can't be seen when rendered. </span>

 

 

### Useful links

What is shader: [http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Shaders](http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Shaders)

Shaders in Maya: [https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/3PP-MAYA-INTRO-Wiley/files/GUID-6468D54C-8D5B-40AD-9349-88F328E0BC2B-htm.html](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/3PP-MAYA-INTRO-Wiley/files/GUID-6468D54C-8D5B-40AD-9349-88F328E0BC2B-htm.html)

Shaders in Max: [https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2017/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-D5D11F0A-0813-428B-B2F9-C60A54260726-htm.html](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2017/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-D5D11F0A-0813-428B-B2F9-C60A54260726-htm.html)

Shaders in Arnold for Maya: [https://docs.arnoldrenderer.com/display/A5AFMUG/Maya+Shaders](https://docs.arnoldrenderer.com/display/A5AFMUG/Maya+Shaders)

Skin creation with FastSSS, VRayMtl, AlSurface: "[https://www.youtube.com/embed/TaQ-7OEBjuk](https://www.youtube.com/embed/TaQ-7OEBjuk)" 

alSurface (snow): "[https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wk299wsMvgI](https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wk299wsMvgI)"