Applying and Creating Materials - Mastering Lumion 3D - page 67

These equations describe the important characteristics of the surface at a specific point,
such as the diffuse, specular, glossiness, and various other parameters, depending on
how complex the material is. To give an example, let's see some of the parameters used
to create the brick material we saw previously. These are shown here:

As we can see, there are more steps involved than just assigning a texture to a
surface. This concept needs to be kept in mind if we want to create believable
materials in Lumion, and a second point that is crucial is to always create a material
using references. Don't trust your memory or simply what looks good to your eyes.
References are an important aspect to achieve a realistic result.

Now, you may be asking: so, which materials are available in Lumion and what is
ready to use?

A quick overview of Lumion's materials
Lumion has more than 500 materials that can be used in our scene. To give you an
idea of what is available, have a look at the following overview:

• Custom : This material stands for what the name suggests. Inside this tab,

we can find some special materials that will be covered later in this chapter.

• Wood : This is used for several wood materials that can be used for doors,

windows, and other elements made of wood.

• Wood Floor : Here, we have more wood materials designed for floors.

• Bricks : These are a variety of materials from normal house bricks to

stone walls.

• Tiles : Here, we can find tiles to our bathroom, patio, or a swimming pool.

• Ground : This tab provides materials to simulate a terrain to a ground

covered with grass.