Here is a great tip on AutoCAD 2011 Materials enhancements from my Autodesk colleague Randy Young who is the AutoCAD Graphics System QA Lead in the Autodesk San Francisco office.

In AutoCAD 2011 Autodesk has worked to break the myth of AutoCAD being just another 2D application. This year the AutoCAD materials now show bump maps real time in the viewport. This is achieved by enabling The Advance Material effect. The effect is normally enabled by default but if it is not you can enable it by doing the following.

1. Click on the new GRAPHICSCONFIG button on the status bar.
   The image above is what the button looks like when you are in hardware acceleration. 
   This is what it looks like when it is not enabled.
   
2. Choose the Performance Tuner… option from the menu
   
3. Click Manual tune button in the Performance Tuner dialog.
   
4. Now choose on next to ON next to the Advanced material effects name.
   
5. Enjoy your new rich real time in viewport “rendering like” material display.

Please note that this effect is very graphics card specific and it could cause graphics system slow downs, so if you see any, I would suggest turning the effect off.

This is an example of pre-2011 material display with advance material effect turned off.

This is the new AutoCAD 2011 material in viewport with advance material effect on. Pretty cool isn’t it?
<Shaan> “Yes it is cool Randy”

Now imagine how your designs will pop as you are showing your prospective clients what their projects will look like real time in viewport.

Good Luck,
Randy Young
AutoCAD Graphics System QA Lead