Chapter 1: Getting Started with mental ray in 3ds max 1.3 Concepts The concepts behind the design and functionality of mental ray must be understood before the process of ren- dering a scene will make sense. It's not enough for you to know which buttons to push or click to get mental ray to render a scene, but you need to under- stand why certain steps are necessary and what some of your options are for cost-effective rendering. The most perfect realistic rendering isn't worth anything if it isn't cost effective. Figure 1.4 Set System units to 1 units=1.0inch. Figure 1.3 Open the Units Setup dialog. This section of the book will explain some of the concepts of setting up and adjusting a mental ray rendering, and the following chapters will apply these concepts in exercises that teach you where the buttons are as well as opti- mization techniques for efficient rendering.