Material Types

In Canvas Studio, materials define how surfaces of 3D objects interact with light, color, and texture. They are a vital part of the rendering pipeline, transforming raw geometry into expressive, stylized, or physically accurate visuals. From cartoon-like shading to reflective surfaces and video-based textures, each material type offers distinct visual qualities and performance trade-offs. Choosing the right material is key to achieving the desired look and realism in your scene.

You can create a material in the backend settings screen by navigating to Materials in the Configure Tab, where you can create your material, and assign it to any number of elements by inserting their IDs, separated by commas.

Mesh Basic Material – a non-light-reactive material that displays color and texture without shading; ideal for unlit UI elements or stylized visuals.
Mesh Lambert Material – a light-reactive material using Lambertian reflectance; provides soft, matte shading and is performance-friendly for diffuse surfaces.
Mesh Matcap Material – uses a matcap (material capture) texture to fake lighting; great for stylized, metallic, or sculptural looks without complex lighting setups.
Mesh Phong Material – supports specular highlights and shininess using Phong shading; adds glossy, reflective surfaces with basic light response.
Mesh Physical Material – an advanced PBR material with support for clear coat, reflectivity, and transmission; ideal for realistic glass, plastics, and high-end surfaces.
Mesh Standard Material – a physically-based material with metallic and roughness properties; balances realism and performance for most production uses.
Mesh Toon Material – simulates cartoon-style shading with flat colors and hard-edged shadows; perfect for comic, anime, or cel-shaded aesthetics.
Points Material – used for rendering point clouds or particles; defines the color, size, and shape of individual vertices rather than surfaces.
Reflector – simulates real-time or baked planar reflections; often applied to mirrors, water surfaces, or glossy floors for added realism.
Video Material – maps a playing video onto a surface as a texture; useful for dynamic screens, animated billboards, or projection effects.

In Canvas Studio, materials are not just surface coatings: they are storytelling tools. Whether you’re crafting a stylized cartoon world, a cinematic sci-fi scene, or a data-driven visualization, the right material brings your models to life and connects them visually to the world you’re building.

Material Oscillators