A material is data that you assign to the surface or faces of an object so that it appears a certain way when rendered. Materials affect the color of objects, their glossiness, their opacity, and so on.
A standard material consists of ambient, diffuse, and specular components. You can assign maps to the various components of astandard material.
The standard material is the default material in the six sample slots of the Material Editor. However, you can change the type of material you're working on by clicking the button labeled Type below the sample slots. This displays the Material/Map Browser, and lets you select from a list of alternative material types.
You can also change the type of material you're working on by clicking the Get Material button below the sample slots. This displays the Material/Map Browser, and lets you select from a list of alternative material types.