Materialize

What Materialize is

Materialize is a free, standalone Windows tool for creating materials for games from images. It can generate height, metallic, smoothness, normal, edge, and occlusion textures using diffuse, height, and normal inputs. It can also make textures tile seamlessly and save or load them in a variety of formats. XML clipboard commands can automate many tasks, including opening and saving multiple texture files. The site describes its use on the Uncharted Collection for generating metallic, smoothness, and occlusion textures for environments in Uncharted 1 and 2. Materialize is open source under GNU GPL v3, and its Unity project source code is hosted on GitHub. The plan is listed as free, with no free trial. There is no Mac or Linux version. Installation requires extracting the zip somewhere that permits temporary-file writing without special permission; loading images may require the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable. The maker says it does not request or collect personal information.

Who it suits

Materialize may suit game creators working with image-based materials on Windows, especially those who want to automate repeated texture-file tasks. It is also intended for users comfortable with its stated installation requirements.

Limits

Materialize is free under GNU GPL v3. It runs only on Windows; image loading may require the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.

Getting started

1. Open the Materialize website.
2. Download the Windows zip.
3. Extract it somewhere that permits temporary-file writing without special permission.
4. Install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable if image loading requires it.
5. Load diffuse, height, or normal inputs and create textures.

Verdict

Materialize offers image-based texture creation and repeat-task automation as a free Windows tool. Consider its platform and setup requirements before downloading.