Hello all, something strange seems to be going on with the viewports lighting and shading all of a sudden. I open up max 2009 and create a sphere or any other type of object and the default colour is really bright with really bright and big highlights, also the material editor slots are really bright as well and say if i create a biped then the colour is really brght as well. It has only just started to happen and sometimes when i reset the scene it will correct itself. i have up to date service packs and graphics drivers. Any help apreciated. thanks

Are you using Gamma Correction?  If it is on, it may cause things to look washed out or overbright.

Also, check the Ambient color swatch in the Environment dialog.  It should be set to black.

3DS Max Design 2011 64-bit - Advantage Pack
Dell Precision T5500, Dual Six Core Xeon X5650 @ 2.67GHz, nVidia Quadro 5000, 24 GB RAM, Win 7 Enterprise 64-bit
Minneapolis, MN, USA