Resources / Material Generator Guide

Write clearer prompts for PBR materials

A useful material prompt describes a flat physical surface. It does not describe a room, product shot, camera, or dramatic lighting. Start with structure, then add controlled variation.

Start generatingBrowse materials
On this pageStart with material and patternSet scale and spacingAdd finish, age, and variationReview and iterate

Describe what the surface is made of and how it repeats

The generator needs enough physical information to build a repeatable material. Clear nouns and measurable qualities are more useful than broad style adjectives.

Start with material and pattern

Name the dominant material first, then state its structure. Examples include running bond red brick, quarter-sawn oak boards, woven charcoal wool, hammered copper sheet, or fine exposed aggregate concrete.

For composite surfaces, explain which material is the base and how the secondary material appears. Keep the description focused on the texture plane.

Set scale and spacing

Describe whether details are fine, medium, or coarse. Include approximate dimensions when grout width, plank size, weave density, or aggregate size changes how the material reads.

Scale language helps prevent a surface from looking like a distant landscape or a close macro image when it is applied to ordinary UVs.

Example: medium-format matte ceramic tiles, narrow grout lines, slight edge variation, warm off-white glaze, clean repeating grid.

Add finish, age, and variation

Use finish words such as matte, satin, polished, brushed, honed, glazed, oxidized, porous, or sealed. Add wear only where it belongs, such as fine scratches, water staining, chipped paint, dust, or softened edges.

Keep variation controlled. Random stains and strong color shifts can make a tile obvious when the texture repeats across a large surface.

Review and iterate

Generate at the base resolution while testing the wording. Inspect the repeat, feature scale, albedo lighting, map alignment, and response on a simple shader.

Change one idea at a time. Tighten the pattern, reduce wear, shift the finish, or correct the scale before using a 2x or 4x generation.

Prompts and their generated materials

Open these public examples to study how material words, pattern terms, finish, and wear appear in the final surface.

Frequently asked questions

What should a PBR material prompt include?

Include the material, repeating structure, scale, color range, finish, and relevant wear.

What should I leave out of the prompt?

Avoid rooms, objects, camera angles, depth of field, dramatic lighting, text, borders, and other scene language.

Should I begin with a 4x generation?

Usually no. Refine the prompt at the base resolution, then use 2x or 4x after the material direction works.

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