Material Customization
One of the core features of the Modular SciFi Series is the ability to tweak multiple colors and PBR values per asset. Masks are used to isolate areas for individual manipulation. For information on how to create custom masks for your assets, check here. In this guide you will learn how to modify these values, giving your assets a personal touch.
Modifying Material Instances
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Open the project and navigate to the Materials folder in the Content Browser.
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Choose a material. For the purpose of this tutorial, I am using the TableLamp material with the corresponding mesh.
Note: mesh scaled for detail
As you can see in the material settings, there are already color values in place. The diffuse is white, allowing you to customize the entirety of its color range.
In the case that a diffuse contains preset colors, setting the Diffuse Desaturation value to 1 will remove them in order that you may customize your own without mixing two colors.
Take note of the texture in the Mask slot. This is how the engine knows where to confine the values below. Red corresponds to all of the values labeled Red or R, and so on for the rest of the colors. Other is the inversion of the collective RGB mask. Essentially anything outside of those 3 values.
Norm Detail U and V allow you to scale the detail normal to your preference. This can come in useful when dealing with larger objects.
R Detail U and V allow you to scale the Roughness Blend Mask. The texture slot allows for setting custom textures. In the Modular SciFi Series, it is generally changed when dealing with architecture vs props.
Emissive inputs and Light Intensity are also available for assets with lights built into the diffuse.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to color and PBR customization. Being able to personalize your assets helps to set them apart from others, and gives them an identity unique to your project.