[SCRktkt]

This is where the project structure in 3ds Max and Maya is really crucial - these problems would not be happening if proper project setup was followed. For both apps, the idea of a project is that all of the assets will reside in a project directory, in sub-directories. When the project is set, the program looks to the appropriate directory for that asset. For example, 3ds Max looks to sceneassets\images\ for bitmap textures, and will render to \renderoutput, save scenes in \scenes, and so on. Maya follows a similar structure, with textures going in the \sourceimages folder, scenes in \scenes, etc. Hence, setyour project first, and save your scenes in the \scenes directory. When you make textures, put them in the \sceneassets\images directory, and then browse to them from the Materials Editor. If you store images all over the hard drive, 3ds Max may lose track of where the image is, especially if you are moving your scenes between computers. I'll be posting a video on the Autodesk site shortly going over project structure, as this is not the first time this has come up.

As far as applying the textures in a material, watch the videos on the Autodesk First Robotics site on lighting and materials; there are videos for both 3ds Max and Maya.