Phong lighting is the default, and usually looks much more natural. An SoEnvironment allows you to specify the atmosphere of the scene. An SoShapeHints node allows you to specify several characteristics of the subsequent shapes, which can speed up rendering of the scene. An SoComplexity node allows you to specify how much you want the renderer to subdivide subsequent objects into polygons. If you specify less subdivision, rendering in generally faster.
Meters are the default unit.
A single Material is often insufficient for an object, particularly a complex object. Various parts or faces of the object may call for different colors or reflectivity. The way that these values are applied to objects is determined by an SoMaterialBinding node. If you bind materials to vertices, it interpolates between those vertices. Several color plates are provided to illustrate the way Inventor handles materials, lights, and bindings.