I have 2012 and I can’t find a single Mental Ray render tutorial, all I find is Vray and it’s not even available. Is it something I have to download?

3DS Max 2012
Windows 7 - 64 bit
AMD Radeon HD 6570M
Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU 2.00GHz, 6Gb Ram

You may want to try a different internet search engine because there’s quite a bit of mental ray tutorials/info available out here in addition to the documentation/tutorials that are included with 3ds Max.  Of course it all depends on what kind of information you’re looking for.  If it’s something more obscure or specific/niche then it may be harder to find and you’ll have to use other tutorials to piece together the tips to reach the end result you’re seeking.

A search for VRay should also lead you to the chaosgroup website where you can purchase VRay if you so desire.  http://www.chaosgroup.com/en/2/vray.html

VRay is a render engine that isn’t shipped with 3ds Max but users can purchase it.  Same goes for Maxwell Render, Thea Render, Brazil R/S, FryRender, etc..

Jeff Patton
My Website | mental ray materials & blog