Level Editor/Workflows/Materials and UVs: Difference between revisions

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Level Editor: materials and UVs workflow
 
American spelling
 
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A '''material''' is what a surface looks like: its texture, colour, roughness, shine. '''UVs''' are how the texture is laid on a face: where it starts, which way it runs and how big it is. This page shows how to texture a map and fix textures that look wrong.
A '''material''' is what a surface looks like: its texture, color, roughness, shine. '''UVs''' are how the texture is laid on a face: where it starts, which way it runs and how big it is. This page shows how to texture a map and fix textures that look wrong.


== Putting materials on brushes ==
== Putting materials on brushes ==
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== Your own materials ==
== Your own materials ==
Built-in materials are shared by every map and cannot be edited. Make a map's own:
Built-in materials are shared by every map and cannot be edited. Make a map's own:
* '''Duplicate and Edit''' (right-click a material) to change a built-in one's colour, scale or roughness.
* '''Duplicate and Edit''' (right-click a material) to change a built-in one's color, scale or roughness.
* '''New Material''' for a blank one, '''New from Image''' for one made from a picture.
* '''New Material''' for a blank one, '''New from Image''' for one made from a picture.
* '''File > Import Custom Asset...''' to bring in a material file or textures.
* '''File > Import Custom Asset...''' to bring in a material file or textures.
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== Keeping textures right while you edit ==
== Keeping textures right while you edit ==
* '''Lock UVs''' (Move, Rotate and Scale settings): off by default, so textures stay fixed in the world and a brush slides under them, which keeps neighbouring brushes lined up. Turn it on to carry the texture with the brush (a crate you turn).
* '''Lock UVs''' (Move, Rotate and Scale settings): off by default, so textures stay fixed in the world and a brush slides under them, which keeps neighboring brushes lined up. Turn it on to carry the texture with the brush (a crate you turn).
* '''Correct UVs''' (Edit Vertex, Edge and Face settings) and '''Correct UVs on Extrude''' (shape tools): on by default, so faces you change are re-laid from their world position and do not stretch.
* '''Correct UVs''' (Edit Vertex, Edge and Face settings) and '''Correct UVs on Extrude''' (shape tools): on by default, so faces you change are re-laid from their world position and do not stretch.
* '''Edit > Re-estimate UVs''' resets the selected brushes' textures from their shape.
* '''Edit > Re-estimate UVs''' resets the selected brushes' textures from their shape.
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Use the [[Level Editor/Panels/UV editor|UV Editor]] tab: select the faces with Edit Face, open the tab, and move, turn or scale their UVs over the texture.
Use the [[Level Editor/Panels/UV editor|UV Editor]] tab: select the faces with Edit Face, open the tab, and move, turn or scale their UVs over the texture.


== Colour without new materials ==
== Color without new materials ==
* The Material Brush's '''Paint color''' tints whole faces.
* The Material Brush's '''Paint color''' tints whole faces.
* The [[Level Editor/Tools/Vertex Color Brush|Vertex Color Brush]] paints colour that blends across faces, for grime and shading.
* The [[Level Editor/Tools/Vertex Color Brush|Vertex Color Brush]] paints color that blends across faces, for grime and shading.
* A [[Level Editor/Entities/Decal|decal]] lays a texture (a sign, a stain) over a surface.
* A [[Level Editor/Entities/Decal|decal]] lays a texture (a sign, a stain) over a surface.



Latest revision as of 04:46, 20 October 2026

A material is what a surface looks like: its texture, color, roughness, shine. UVs are how the texture is laid on a face: where it starts, which way it runs and how big it is. This page shows how to texture a map and fix textures that look wrong.

Putting materials on brushes

There are four ways, from broadest to finest:

  1. Whole brushes: select brushes with the Move tool and double-click a material in the Materials tab. Every face of each brush gets it.
  2. Selected faces: select faces with Edit Face (click, Shift+click to add, double-click for a connected region) and double-click a material, or click Apply to Selected Faces.
  3. Painting: pick the Material Brush and drag over surfaces; tick Individual faces to paint face by face.
  4. New brushes wear the material selected in the Materials tab when you draw them.

Tools > Select by Material finds every brush (or face) wearing a material, to change them all at once.

Your own materials

Built-in materials are shared by every map and cannot be edited. Make a map's own:

  • Duplicate and Edit (right-click a material) to change a built-in one's color, scale or roughness.
  • New Material for a blank one, New from Image for one made from a picture.
  • File > Import Custom Asset... to bring in a material file or textures.

They are saved with the map and packed into its export. See Material Editor and Custom assets.

Footstep sound in the Material Editor sets what walking on a material sounds like.

Keeping textures right while you edit

  • Lock UVs (Move, Rotate and Scale settings): off by default, so textures stay fixed in the world and a brush slides under them, which keeps neighboring brushes lined up. Turn it on to carry the texture with the brush (a crate you turn).
  • Correct UVs (Edit Vertex, Edge and Face settings) and Correct UVs on Extrude (shape tools): on by default, so faces you change are re-laid from their world position and do not stretch.
  • Edit > Re-estimate UVs resets the selected brushes' textures from their shape.
  • The Material Brush's Paint UV resets the texture placement of the faces it paints.

Fixing a texture by hand

Use the UV Editor tab: select the faces with Edit Face, open the tab, and move, turn or scale their UVs over the texture.

Color without new materials

  • The Material Brush's Paint color tints whole faces.
  • The Vertex Color Brush paints color that blends across faces, for grime and shading.
  • A decal lays a texture (a sign, a stain) over a surface.

Ground

Displacements blend four materials painted by hand or by slope (Displacement tab); terrain blends five (Terrain tab).

Related pages

TeamSpec Level Editor
Basics Getting started · Interface · Viewport and camera · Selecting and hiding · Keyboard shortcuts · Settings · Map Config · Troubleshooting
Menus File · Edit · View · Tools · Functional
Panels Scene tree · Inspector · Materials · Props · Snapping · UV editor · Displacement · Terrain
Tools Move, Rotate and Scale · Box · Sphere · Cylinder · Prism · Stairs · Spiral Stairs · Spiral Tower · Arch · Path Brush · Plane · Terrain · Clip · Duplicate · Ruler and Cordon · Edit Vertex and Edge · Edit Face · Loop Cut · Material Brush · Vertex Color Brush · Displacement · Prop Path
Entities Brush · Zone · Group · Mirror Node · Prop · Spawn Point · Supply Pickup · World Boundary · Lights · Water · Sounds · Anchor Platform · Payload Track · Boss Spawn · Map Marker · World Text · Decal · Door · Button · Logic entities · 3D Skybox · Nav Region
Workflows Your first map · Brushes and CSG · Materials and UVs · Lighting and lightmaps · Bots and navigation · Mirrored maps · Outputs and logic · Custom assets · Playtesting · Exporting and publishing · Importing Source maps
Scripting Overview · Server rules · Client HUD · Bots · Teams and spawning · Zones · Pickups · Payload tracks · Map entities · Sandbox limits · Testing · King of the Hill · Team Deathmatch · API reference · What a script may use