Apply realistic materials like wood, glass, metal, plastic, paper, and much more, giving you instant reflections, shadows, and other visual effects.
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Introduction
In this video, we will look at assigning materials to objects in our Dimension scene.
Applying materials from libraries to objects
Materials affect the way objects look in the 3D scene.
They contain information about the color, the roughness, the bumps and much more.
Dimension already comes with a library of highly realistic materials you can pick from.
You can also browse the Substance 3D Assets site to find thousands of additional materials.
There are different ways to apply a material.
Selecting areas and assigning materials precisely
You can drag and drop it onto the model or target the model directly in the scene panel.
With the model selected, you can also click the material you want to apply in the assets panel.
If you want to isolate specific areas that are not separate objects in your model , use the magic wand by clicking on the wand icon or by pressing the shortcut A.
Hold shift to add new areas to your selection.
Editing material properties and parameters
To access a material’s parameters, double click the object on which it is applied.
The material tab contains all the options that you can adjust.
You can scale, rotate, and position your material... and also control its resolution.
Most materials are parametric, which means you can customize them even further.
Experiment with presets and play with the sliders until you are satisfied with the look of your model.
You can spot parametric materials by the little sliders that appear in the lower right corner of the preview.
If you want to reuse a material that’s already been applied in your project,
Sampling and linking materials across objects
you use the sampler tool.
Access it by clicking on the eyedropper in the toolbar or by pressing the shortcut “ i ”.
Click on the material you want to sample, then hold shift and click on your target.
Don’t forget to press V to go back to select mode.
By doing so you create an instance of your first material, which means every change you make on one will update on the other.
Unlinking and customizing materials independently
To break that link and adjust them separately, go to the material’s tab and click “unlink material”.
Have fun combining and customizing materials to create unique models!
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