How to render nighttime scenes using the Corona night sky in 3ds Max

Updated February 20, 2026 16:44

In addition to daytime rendering, Corona also enables you to create nighttime scenes. It accurately simulates elements such as the moon, stars, and even the Milky Way. You can achieve highly realistic results, while still having full artistic control - adjusting settings like star brightness or moon size to suit your creative vision.

To set up nighttime skylight:

Create a Corona Sun. You can use the toolbar button for this or go to the Command Panel > Create > Lights > Corona > Corona Sun.
Create a Corona Moon. Just like the Corona Sun, you can find it in the toolbar or under Corona Lights.
Select the Corona Sun or the Corona Moon and in its settings, click "Add CoronaSky environment". This will automatically add a Corona Sky to your scene environment and link it with the existing sun and moon.
Move the Corona Sun slightly above the horizon, or even below it, to get a dusk/dawn or nighttime sky appearance.
If you want to make the moon visible, adjust its position so that the camera can see it. Interactive rendering is extremely helpful here.
Go to the 3ds Max Environment and Effects dialog ("8" key), open the material editor, and drag-and-drop the Corona Sky that is used as the scene environment into the material editor.
In the Corona Sky settings, enable stars under "Night sky parameters". Optionally, you can also enable clouds.
Adjust the settings of the Corona Sky and the Corona Moon to your taste. For example, you can increase the size of the moon or decrease its disk brightness.

Note: Balancing scene lights, the moon, and the stars so they’re all visible without overexposed or underexposed areas can be challenging. However, it’s possible using the available non-physical settings.

Start by setting the overall exposure so your scene lights look correct. Then adjust the star intensity until the stars are clearly visible. Finally, fine-tune the moon disk intensity.

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