Materials > 
Introduction to material properties
 
 
 

About material properties

Each default material has its own distinct parameter settings for a variety of properties such as color, reflectivity and surface characteristics such as bump. Adjusting these parameters will tune the look of an existing material to your preference.

To start from a neutral material instead of an existing material, select the Generic material under the Miscellaneous category, add it to your scene and edit it.

TipIf you plan to use precalculated ambient shadows, it is recommended you create and apply them before you adjust your materials to ensure you get the effect you are looking for Add ambient shadows to surfaces.

Change material properties

With an object selected, choose Materials > Material Properties (or pressCtrl+M) to change its material properties. The Material Properties window appears.

The Material Properties window contains some or all of the following types of properties. (Click on the links for more information.)

NoteIf you edit the Material Properties of a Decal material, it will have all of the above properties as well as a Decal property. For more information, see Change the appearance of decals.

Material editing display settings

At the top of the Material Properties window is the name of the current material, and below it are two display settings checkboxes.

Related links

These topics tell you how to use some of the material parameter controls: