Material Enhancement Panel
Confirm how a classified surface will render in 3D from one collapsible Inspector panel that reports the surface's resolved type.
The Rendering Enhancements panel is an advanced, collapsible section in the Inspector that appears whenever a selected entity has a semantic surface type — such as Lawn, Meadow, or a water surface. It shows the surface's resolved type at a glance, and confirms whether that type was set explicitly or resolved automatically. The panel does not let you change the surface class or type — that is intentional, and is done through the semantic class picker or a surface preset to prevent conflicts. For most everyday work the class defaults already drive the 3D and photo-mode rendering; open this panel mainly to confirm how a specific surface is classified before it renders.
Enhancement controls are per-entity overrides that sit on top of the base PBR material. They do not alter the material definition in the library — they affect only the entity they are applied to. This lets you use the same base material across multiple entities while giving each one a distinct look through tinting, weathering, or transparency adjustments.
Open the Enhancement Panel
Select an entity that has a material applied. In the Inspector panel, scroll down to the Material Enhancements section (or click the enhancement chevron to expand it). The section is only visible when a material is applied to the entity.
Normal Map Strength
Normal Map Strength (0–2, default 1.0) controls how much surface texture depth the normal map adds.
- 0 — completely flat surface, no texture depth
- 1 — default material depth as authored
- 2 — exaggerated surface relief, useful for emphasizing stone or bark texture in presentation renders
This only affects the 3D view.
Increase normal map strength on flagstone or decking materials to make surface texture pop in photo-realistic presentation renders.
Roughness and Metalness Override
Roughness Override (0–1) controls how matte or glossy the surface appears:
- 0 — perfectly smooth, mirror-like surface
- 1 — completely matte, no specular highlights
Metalness Override (0–1) controls how metallic the surface appears:
- 0 — non-metallic (dielectric)
- 1 — fully metallic reflectance model
Both values override the material's built-in roughness and metalness maps when set. Leave at the default "Auto" position to use the material's own values.
Tint Color
Tint Color applies a hue overlay to the base material. Click the color swatch to open the color picker. The tint multiplies with the material's albedo — a warm orange tint on concrete gives a sandstone feel; a gray tint on grass suggests drought stress.
The tint is visible in both 2D and 3D views.
Use a very subtle tint (low opacity) to differentiate between two entities that share the same base material without having to create a separate material.
Emissive and Opacity
Emissive adds a self-illumination glow to the material. Useful for lit paving, light strips, or pool water in night renders. Set the emissive color and intensity.
Opacity (0–100%) controls the transparency of the entity's fill:
- 100% — fully opaque
- 0% — fully transparent
Opacity affects the 2D canvas fill and the 3D surface. Useful for semi-transparent water, glazing, or mood overlays in presentation drawings.
The defaults for each surface type already match the look of the corresponding surface preset, so most surfaces need no further adjustment here.
Change the surface type if needed
If the Type shown is wrong or you want a different procedural enhancement, you must change the surface class rather than editing it here. Select the entity and use the Semantic Class picker in the Inspector or apply a different Surface Preset from the style panel. Once the class updates, the Rendering Enhancements panel will immediately reflect the new type and show the appropriate parameters.
To keep several areas of the same type rendering consistently — for example multiple lawn zones across a large garden — assign the same semantic class to each, and use the Style Painter tool to copy one surface's style onto the others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I change the surface type from this panel?
By design. The surface class and type are owned by the semantic class picker and surface presets. Allowing a separate type selector inside Rendering Enhancements could create a class-versus-type conflict on the same entity. This panel only reads the resolved type — to change the type, change the surface class instead.
The Type row shows 'None' — why?
The entity has no semantic surface type, so there is nothing to report. Apply a surface preset (such as Lawn or Meadow) or choose a class from the semantic class picker. Once a class is assigned, reopen Rendering Enhancements to see the resolved type.
What does the '(auto)' marker next to the type mean?
It means the surface type was resolved automatically — either inferred from the entity's semantic class or from the applied photoreal material's catalog entry — rather than set by an explicit override. This is normal and expected. The marker simply confirms the type is being driven by the class or material assignment, not a manual type override.
The panel says 'Advanced parameters available for this surface type' but shows no controls — is something missing?
No. The note confirms that the resolved surface type supports advanced rendering parameters, which are driven by the class defaults. Individual editable controls for those parameters are not exposed in this panel in the current version; the type resolution shown here is working correctly and is what drives the 3D and photo-mode look.