Material Maker: 6 PBR Channels & 3D Painting?

Updated 5 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Yes, Material Maker supports six PBR channels (Base Color, Metallic, Roughness, Normal, Height, and Ambient Occlusion) and includes experimental 3D painting. You can paint directly on a 3D model in the viewport, though the feature is labeled experimental and may be less stable than the node-based texture workflow.

Background: What Material Maker Is

Material Maker is a free, open-source tool for creating PBR (Physically Based Rendering) textures and materials. It uses a node graph similar to Substance Designer or Blender’s shader editor, where you connect nodes to generate seamless tileable textures. The software runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and exports materials to common game engines like Godot, Unreal, and Unity, as well as to image files like PNG and EXR.

The project is developed by RodZill4 and is available on GitHub and Steam (as a paid version with extra features). The core editor is free, and the source code is open. It is popular among indie game developers and hobbyists because it offers a powerful procedural workflow without the cost of commercial tools.

How the Six PBR Channels Work

Material Maker’s node system lets you build textures for all six standard PBR channels. Each channel is a grayscale or color image that the render engine uses to simulate how light interacts with a surface.

Base Color (Albedo): The diffuse color of the surface, without lighting or shadows.
Metallic: A grayscale map where white (1.0) means the surface is a conductor (like metal) and black (0.0) means dielectric (like plastic or wood).
Roughness: A grayscale map where white is fully rough (scatters light) and black is perfectly smooth (mirror-like).
Normal: An RGB map that stores surface direction per pixel, creating the illusion of bumps and dents without adding geometry.
Height: A grayscale map used for parallax mapping or displacement, where white is raised and black is lowered.
Ambient Occlusion (AO): A grayscale map that darkens crevices where light cannot easily reach, adding depth and contact shadows.

You can generate each channel procedurally using nodes, import existing images, or paint them manually. The node graph allows you to connect a single noise source to several channels, ensuring they stay synchronized (e.g., a scratch pattern affects both roughness and normal).

Experimental 3D Painting: What You Get

Material Maker’s 3D painting feature lets you paint directly onto a 3D model in the viewport. You can load an OBJ or glTF model, and then use painting tools to apply color, roughness, or other channels. This is useful for adding unique details that are hard to achieve procedurally, like a logo or dirt in specific areas.

However, the feature is marked experimental in the UI. That means it may have bugs, limited undo, or missing tools compared to dedicated painting software like Substance Painter or Krita. For example, you might not have access to layers or advanced brushes. The experimental tag also implies that the feature could change or break in future updates. For production work, many users still prefer to paint in a dedicated tool and then import the textures into Material Maker to combine with procedural layers.

How to Use 3D Painting in Material Maker

If you want to try the experimental painting, here is a typical workflow:

Open Material Maker and create a new project.
In the 3D view, load a model by going to the File menu and selecting Import Model (or drag and drop an OBJ/glTF file).
Enable the painting mode from the viewport toolbar (look for a brush icon).
Choose which channel you want to paint on (e.g., Base Color or Roughness) from the drop-down.
Select a brush, size, and color, then paint directly on the model.
When done, save the painted texture as an image file or feed it into a node in the graph.

Note that the model must have UV coordinates; otherwise, painting will not work correctly. If your model lacks UVs, you will need to unwrap it in another tool first.

Common Problems and Workarounds

Users often encounter a few issues with the experimental painting feature:

Brush lag: Painting can be slow on high-poly models. Try reducing the viewport resolution or using a lower-poly proxy.
No undo: The painting tool may not support undo, so save your work frequently or paint on a copy.
Texture seams: If you see seams in the painted texture, make sure the model’s UV islands have enough padding and that the texture resolution is high enough.
Missing channels: Not all channels may be paintable. For example, normal painting is not implemented; you can only paint height or base color.

If you hit a bug, consider reporting it on the GitHub issue tracker. Since the software is open-source, you can also check if a fix is already in development.

Alternatives to Material Maker’s 3D Painting

If the experimental painting is too limiting, you have several options:

Blender: Free and open-source, with a robust texture painting mode and full PBR support. You can paint all channels and export them.
Krita: A free painting program that supports PBR texture painting (with the right brush settings) and is excellent for 2D texture work.
Substance Painter (commercial): The industry standard for 3D painting, with advanced tools like smart materials and particle brushes. It is paid and not open-source.
ArmorPaint: A standalone 3D painting tool that is free for non-commercial use and works well with PBR workflows.

Many Material Maker users combine it with a painting tool: they generate the base texture procedurally in Material Maker, then export it to a painting program to add unique details, and finally re-import to composite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Material Maker really free?

Yes, the core version on GitHub is free and open-source. There is also a paid version on Steam that includes additional nodes and features, but the free version is fully functional for most workflows.

Can I use Material Maker textures in Unreal Engine?

Yes, Material Maker can export textures in a format that Unreal Engine can import, and it also has a direct export option for Unreal Engine 4/5. You can also export as PNG/EXR and manually set up the material in Unreal.

Does Material Maker support normal map baking?

Material Maker does not have a dedicated high-to-low-poly normal map baker. For baking, you would use a tool like Blender or xNormal. However, you can generate normal maps procedurally from height maps within Material Maker.

What file formats can I export from Material Maker?

You can export textures as PNG, JPEG, TGA, and EXR (for HDR). You can also export the entire material as a .mtl file for use in some 3D applications, or directly to Godot, Unreal, and Unity via plugins.

Is 3D painting stable enough for professional work?

Currently, the 3D painting is experimental, so it is not recommended for critical production work. It is best used for quick concepting or adding minor details. For professional results, use a dedicated painting tool and combine it with Material Maker’s procedural strengths.

Can I use my own brushes in Material Maker’s 3D painting?

No, the painting tool only offers basic round brushes with adjustable size and hardness. There is no support for custom brush shapes or textures.

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