Material Review Guide

 

You can review materials created by the Cylindo team within the associated Project under the ‘Review’ tab. The materials are grouped into Families, which are color variants of the same texture.

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If your 3D models are not ready yet, Cylindo will deliver the materials on generic 3D models similar to your products. For future projects, you can select your own model on which you want to review your materials, known as the Material Archetype.

To start reviewing materials, click on any of the families available in review, and then click the ‘Start Review’ button located in the status bar.

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In the Materials Review Tool, you will see your pending materials list on the left and the selected material in the center.

You can view the material from four different angles, and once you open the Reference Panel, you can compare it to reference photography, and, in the second review round, compare it to the previous version as well.Screenshot 2024-07-22 at 12.07.32.png

 

Step 1: Review Material Structure

Begin by examining the material structure, focusing on aspects like smoothness, texture, pattern, and finish (shiny or matte). Different material types will have different characteristics.

If you identify any issues with the material structure, report them by following these steps:

  1. Click the ‘Issues’ button in the top right corner and select "Create Issue".
  2. Describe the issue in the box that appears. Be clear and descriptive, and create a new issue for each separate comment.
  3. Check the "Global Issue" box if the feedback applies to all materials in the family, but be aware that doing so will prevent you from submitting issues for individual materials during this feedback round.
  4. Optionally, use the "Mark issue" button to draw on the render if the issue is visible on a specific part of the material. You can also add attachments.
  5. Save the issue by clicking the "Add issue" button.

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All issues will be collected in the "Unresolved" issues list, which you can see in the material family overview page.

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You can review and edit your feedback until you submit it by clicking the Submit Review button in the top right corner.

!! Note that every material in the family must be approved or rejected before you can submit your feedback.

Once the Cylindo team resolves the issues, the material will be returned to you for a second review round, with resolved issues moved to the ‘resolved’ column in the issue reporting tool. If you are now satisfied with the material texture, you can move on to color corrections.

 

Step 2: Review Material Color

Cylindo matches 3D material colors to the reference photos or digital swatches you provide, using artificial white light for color representation. Since colors can look different under various lighting conditions, you may find it helpful to adjust the colors to better fit your desired look using our self-service color correction tool.

To start, open the material you want to edit and click the Colour Correction button in the top right corner.

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This will open a colour correction panel, which works similarly as other photo editing tools:

  • Exposure
    What It Does: Adjusts the overall lightness or darkness of the image, affecting midtones and highlights.
    How It Works: Changes the amount of light captured, brightening or darkening the image.
  • Brightness
    What It Does: Alters the average lightness of the image uniformly.
    How It Works: Shifts overall lightness, which can reduce detail in highlights or shadows.
  • Contrast
    What It Does: Changes the difference between light and dark areas, enhancing or reducing separation.
    How It Works: Affects the range between highlights and shadows, altering depth and texture.
  • Hue
    What It Does: Shifts colors along the color spectrum, changing specific hues.
    How It Works: Rotates colors around the color wheel, altering the overall color tone.
  • Saturation
    What It Does: Adjusts the intensity of colors, making them more vivid or muted.
    How It Works: Changes color intensity without altering the hue.

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Please note that the controls are different for metal finishes; You can correct the color of metal materials by adjusting the RGB components of the Specular highlights. Once you’ve achieved the desired color, use the main Specular highlights slider to adjust the brightness.

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Any changes you make will be applied directly to the material and saved in the GLTF file, making them final for approval. In other words, you can hit the "approve" button as soon as you’re satisfied with your color edit.

Best Practices for Color Reviews

When reviewing material color, it's crucial to consider how different lighting conditions affect color perception. Additionally, the context of the review plays a significant role in how colors are perceived.

  • Keep in mind that view angle can influence the appearance of material color, depending on light placement.
  • Different monitors can present varying visual experiences of the same material color; therefore, side-by-side comparison with reference photography on the same screen is recommended.



  • Physical materials' appearance depends on the light source, so avoid comparing digital samples directly with physical swatches. Instead, use the reference images available in the reference panel of the Material Review Tool.

 

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