This is the starter scene file for the sub-surface scattering tutorial that’s going up tomorrow (part 1 at least).  You can download this file and get immediate results.  The material I’m using is the default SSS Fast Material with the following changes:

• Turn on “Advanced options” > “Scatter indirect illumination”.
• Turn off “Advanced options” > “‘screen’ (soft) compositing of layers”.
• “Advanced options” > “scale conversion factor” is 0.3

Consider rendering this with the Free High-Res HDRI Pack I’ve posted.

This is the Stanford dragon model available for free download in various formats.  There are some scientific differences between this model and the original .PLY from Stanford.  The dragon’s absolute size has been increased to 1.174′ by .525′ by 0.828′ and the pivot is repositioned to the base rather than the center of the object.  There are 50,000 vertices and 100,000 triangles.

This is a great all-around tester like the dragon model. I’ve gotten great use out of it for sub-surface scattering tests due to it’s great blend of thick and thin geometry!

This is the Stanford Buddha model available for free download in various formats.  There are some scientific differences between this model and the original .PLY from Stanford.  The Buddha’s absolute size has been increased to 0.34′ by 0.34′ by 0.828′ and the pivot is repositioned to the base rather than the center of the object.  The object has been rotated 90 degrees so that it is upright in 3dsMax coordinate space. There are 49,990 vertices and 10,000 triangles.

This is a great tester for general effects since this model has a great blend of thin geometry, thick geometry, and high resolution detail.

This is the Stanford bunny model available for free download in various formats.  There are some scientific differences between this model and the original .PLY from Stanford.  The bunny’s absolute size has been increased to 0.836′ by 0.648′ by 0.829′ and the pivot is repositioned to the base rather than the center of the object.  There are 34,835 vertices and 69,666 triangles.

This is a great tester for volumetric effects because it has a large body with relatively thin geometry along the ears.  And it’s just so gosh-darn cute!

This is the .max scene file for the 3d Total Treehouse Speed Modeling Challange #05.  The scene is basically a general store and restaurant perched on the side of a cliff.  The scene has 3 cameras and is lit with mental ray Sun & Sky.