Material maps

Every map has two parts: the image, and its options (tiling, offset, rotation, filtering, colour space, UV channel). Usually, setting the image is enough.

Each material type accepts different maps. If you switch the type, a map you set earlier may stop being used.

The first column shows the names from the material panel. The last column shows the name that a script or a patch node uses.

Map	What it is for	basic	standard	physical	toon	normal	chromakey	occluder	ref	In code
Alpha map	transparency, taken from how bright the image is	✓	✓	✓	✓				✓	alphaMap
Ambient occlusion map	pre-drawn shadows where surfaces meet	✓	✓	✓	✓				✓	aoMap
Anisotropy map	the direction of a brushed-metal look			✓						anisotropyMap
Bump map	detail from a height image; use a normal map instead		✓	✓	✓	✓			✓	bumpMap
Clearcoat map	where the lacquer is			✓						clearcoatMap
Clearcoat normal map	surface detail in the lacquer			✓						clearcoatNormalMap
Clearcoat roughness map	how polished the lacquer is			✓						clearcoatRoughnessMap
Displacement map	moves the surface itself		✓	✓	✓	✓				displacementMap
Emissive map	which parts glow		✓	✓	✓					emissiveMap
Environment map	reflections	✓	✓	✓						envMap
Gradient map	the colour bands of a cartoon (toon) look				✓					gradientMap
Iridescence map	where the rainbow, oil-slick shimmer appears			✓						iridescenceMap
Iridescence thickness map	how strong that shimmer is			✓						iridescenceThicknessMap
Light map	pre-drawn lighting	✓	✓	✓	✓				✓	lightMap
Metalness map	which parts are metal		✓	✓					✓	metalnessMap
Normal map	surface detail without extra geometry		✓	✓	✓	✓			✓	normalMap
Roughness map	which parts are polished and which are matte		✓	✓					✓	roughnessMap
Sheen color map	the colour of fabric sheen			✓						sheenColorMap
Sheen roughness map	how soft that sheen is			✓						sheenRoughnessMap
Specular color map	the tint of reflections			✓						specularColorMap
Specular intensity map	how reflective it is			✓						specularIntensityMap
Specular map	where it is shiny	✓								specularMap
Texture	the main colour image	✓	✓	✓	✓		✓		✓	map
Thickness map	how thick the glass is			✓						thicknessMap
Transmission map	where light passes through			✓						transmissionMap

Some maps are saved but not shown

Ambient occlusion, light, environment, bump, displacement and gradient maps are saved, but they are not drawn. Use a normal map instead of bump, and set the environment on the scene. The material panel warns you when you use one of these maps.

Mark data maps as data

Some maps hold numbers instead of colour: roughness, metalness, a mask. Mark them as data in the colour-space option. Otherwise they are colour-corrected, and the values come out wrong.

To learn how to use maps, see Materials.