Overview
MaterialX is the first asset format that can be created from scratch directly in Connecter. You can also edit existing MaterialX files and save the results from the Node Graph Editor.
The MTLX assets have thumbnails, previews, and interactive previews.
How to edit MTLX assets?
You’ll need to right-click on an MTLX asset to open the context menu and select “Node Graph Editor.”
In the Node Graph Editor, you'll see the following:
- The Interactive Preview Panel that shows a shader ball on which the material is displayed.
- The Node Inputs Panel that allows you to see and modify the inputs of a selected node.
- The Node Graph Panel where you can add, remove, and connect the different nodes.
With the scroll on the mouse, you can zoom in or out on the nodes.
To create a new node, you can either left-click on an input of a node and drag to open the context menu and select from the available Node Types in the library or right-click on the empty space to create any kind of node.
You can click and drag from one input to a suitable output to connect the nodes.
When you click on a node, its inputs will be displayed in the Node Inputs Panel, and you can modify them directly from there. You can observe the results of these changes on the shader ball in real time.
Additionally, you have the following options in the menu above the shader ball:
- Save: The “Save” option will save the changes directly in the asset you've been editing, while “Save as” allows you to save it as a new file.
- Undo (Ctrl + Z).
- Redo (Ctrl + Y).
- Create nodegraph: This option allows you to form two or more nodes into a nodegraph. It doesn’t work if the selected nodes or their parent nodes are of the “Nodegraph” type.
- Unpack nodegraph.
- Auto-align nodes.
- Save node positions.
- Go back to previous node: It appears if you have unpacked a “Nodegraph” type node.
You can also perform the following actions:
- Open Full Size Viewer: There you can interact with the shared ball.
- Reset View.
- Access and modify these Settings:
- Background color.
- HDRI Environment.
- Shader object.
- Camera.
- Light Intensity.
How to create a new MaterialX asset?
You’ll need to go to the “Tools” dropdown and select the “Create New MaterialX” option to open the Node Graph Editor.
A dialog will open, prompting you to select a template. It could be:
- None: The Graph Editor will be empty, and you’ll begin the creation process from scratch.
- Autodesk Standard Surface.
- USD Preview Surface.
These are the three available workflows, and from there, you can use the same options and actions outlined above to create a new MaterialX asset. When you’re done, you can save it in a location of your choice.