What to try
- Load a material construction and compare its shaped carrier, noise and colored result.
- Choose Graphite and set Noise influence to zero, then restore variation and inspect another construction.
What to look for: Marble pinches a sine wave into veins; wood shapes radial growth rings; clouds shape a layered density field. Removing noise influence reveals the carrier exactly. Color maps the result after its structure is computed.
How it works
Wood and marble can use directional or warped variation; clouds use layered smooth fields; brick and fabric rely more strongly on repeated geometry. The Lab exposes these as adjustable generators with scale, detail and two endpoint colors.
The useful question is which structural feature the texture contributes. Broad variation can establish lighting-like masses; fine detail adds grain; repeated geometry creates rhythm. Treating these as separate decisions makes it easier to build an image instead of accepting a preset as a finished material.
Use it in the Lab
Use a generated texture as one layer, then adjust tone, map colors or combine it with painted marks. Save useful settings as part of a chain when the material becomes a repeatable ingredient.
Limits & distinctions
These are stylized two-dimensional generators. They do not produce physically based material channels, measured surface properties or a lighting simulation.
Sources & references
Guide updated