Three dimensional surfaces in Maya respond to light similarly to those in the real world, however not all assets are formed of the same material, some being reflective, matte or glossy and therefore react differently to light. This effect is creating using different material nodes, these are a type of render node that, when applied to an object, let you define how the object’s surface appears when rendered.
Lambert: Lambert is a flat material type that yields a smooth look without highlights. It calculates without taking into account surface reflectivity, providing a matte, chalk-like appearance. Lambert material is ideal for surfaces that don’t have highlights: pottery, chalk, matte paint, and so forth. By default, any newly created object gets the Lambert shader assigned to it.
Phong: The Phong material type takes into account the surface curves, amount of light, and camera angle to get accurate shading and highlights. The algorithm results in tight highlights that are ideal for polished shiny surfaces.
Blinn: The Blinn material type calculates surfaces similarly to Phong, but the shape of the specular highlights (the bright spot of light that appears on shiny objects when illuminated) in Blinn materials reflects light more accurately. Blinn is good for metallic surfaces with soft highlights, such as brass or aluminium.
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