MaterialLab Documentation

Welcome to MaterialLab, the most advanced Blender material addon.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Installation
3. Getting Started
4. Features
5. Frequently Asked Questions
6. Support
7. Credits and License

Introduction

MaterialLab is designed for 3D artists who demand both quality and performance. With lightweight, physics-based shaders, MaterialLab ensures your materials look stunning in any scene. The addon is versatile, working seamlessly with no UV mapping and providing dynamic light and motion responses.

Installation

1. Open Blender and navigate to "Edit" > Preferences > Add-ons.
2. Click "Install" and locate the `MaterialLab.zip` file.
3. Enable the addon by checking the box next to "MaterialLab".
4. Save your preferences to ensure the addon is loaded automatically in future sessions.

Getting Started

1. Open the "MaterialLab" tab in the 3D Viewport's Sidebar.
2. Browse the categories of materials or search for specific ones using the search bar.
3. Select your target object in your scene and click "Apply" on your chosen material.
4. Use the favorites feature to save frequently used materials for quick access.
5. Modify materials locally using the "Make Editable" button, allowing instance-based edits without altering the original.

Features

• Iconic Car Colors: Includes presets like Ferrari Red, British Racing Green, McLaren Orange and more.
• Dynamic Materials: Physics-based shaders for realistic light and motion interaction.
• Thumbnails: Quickly preview materials with high-quality thumbnails.
• Favorites: Save and access your most-used materials effortlessly.
• Editable Instances: Toggle materials to be local to a project for customized edits.
• Seamless Workflow: Lightweight, performance-optimized materials load dynamically from the asset library.

Important Info

If your mesh appears black after applying a material, here's how to fix it:

MaterialLab uses physics-based materials that rely on accurate surface normals to simulate realistic light interaction. Incorrect normals can cause unexpected rendering results, such as black surfaces or inverted effects.

How to Fix Normals:

Check for Black or Incorrect Areas:

• If certain areas of your model appear black or do not render correctly, this is often due to flipped or incorrect normals.

Steps to Correct Normals:

• Go into Edit Mode.
• Select all faces (A key).
• Recalculate normals using:
• Shortcut: Shift + N

and/or

• Menu: Go to Mesh > Normals > Recalculate Outside.

If any areas still render incorrectly:

• Select the problematic faces.
• Use Flip Normals (Alt + N > Flip).

Visualize Normals:

To check normals visually:

• In the Viewport Overlays menu, enable Normals under the Face Orientation option.
• Red areas indicate reversed normals. Use the steps above to correct them.

Support: 

For any issues or questions, please contact us through Blender Market. Ensure you include the following details:

• Blender version
• MaterialLab version
• Description of the issue
• Steps to reproduce the problem

Thank you for choosing MaterialLab. We’re excited to see how it transforms your workflow! 🌟