RS MatFlow: Smart Texture Loader & Material Builder

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Main Features

Interface Components

The RS MatFlow UI is organized into several key sections for ease of use:

1. Material Configuration

• Material Name: An input field to specify the name for the Redshift material to be created. If left blank, the tool can derive a name from texture files. Example: Metal_Steel_Rough_rsMat.

2. Quick Actions

• Load Multiple Texture Maps: Opens a file dialog to select multiple texture files. The tool attempts to auto-assign them to the correct texture slots based on filename keywords.
• Batch Create from Directory: Allows selection of a directory. The tool scans for texture sets within this directory and creates multiple materials accordingly.
• Material Swapper: Launches the "RS Material Swapper" tool (if available) for reassigning materials on scene geometry.

3. Texture Map Assignments

A grid layout for assigning texture maps. Each row corresponds to a PBR map type:

• Albedo, Reflection, Metalness, Roughness, Refraction, Height, Normal, Emissive, AO (Ambient Occlusion), Cavity, Translucency, Fuzz, Alpha.
• Each map type has a read-only field displaying the current texture path and a "Browse..." button to select a texture file manually.

4. Shader Settings & Features

A comprehensive list of settings to control how textures are processed and how the Redshift material behaves. Each setting typically has "Enable/Disable" or specific mode options (e.g., "Roughness/Glossiness"):

• Diffuse Color Correction (rsColorCorrection): Enable/Disable RedshiftColorCorrection node for the albedo map.
• Input Map Type (Roughness/Gloss): Specify if the roughness input is a Roughness map or a Glossiness map (which will be inverted).
• Remap Roughness/Glossiness Map: Enable/Disable a remapValue node for the roughness/glossiness map.
• Height Map Mode: Choose between "Displacement" (uses RedshiftDisplacement node) or "Bump" (uses RedshiftBumpMap node).
• Normal Map Space: Select "Tangent" or "Object" space for the normal map.
• Alpha Map Mode: Choose "Sprite" (uses RedshiftSprite node) or "Opacity" (connects to opacity_color).
• Auto-Ignore Color Space Rules: Enable/Disable ignoring Maya's automatic color space rules for file nodes.
• UV Tiling Mode (UDIM/MARI): Enable/Disable UV tiling mode (sets to UDIM/MARI style).
• Assign to Selected Objects: Choose "Yes" or "No" to assign the created material to currently selected objects in Maya.

5. Create Button

• CREATE Redshift Material: The main button to initiate the material creation process based on all current inputs and settings.

6. Status Bar

• Located at the bottom of the window, it displays messages about the tool's operations, successes, warnings, or errors.

How to Use

RS MatFlow offers flexible workflows for creating Redshift materials.

Basic Workflow (Single Material)

1. Set Material Name (Optional): In the "Material Configuration" section, enter a desired name for your material (e.g., MyAwesomeWood_rsMat). If you leave this blank, RS MatFlow will try to name it based on your texture files.
2. Load Textures:
   • Manually: For each map type in the "Texture Map Assignments" section (Albedo, Roughness, etc.), click "Browse..." to select the corresponding texture file.
   • Multiple Auto-Assign: Click "Load Multiple Texture Maps" in "Quick Actions". Select all relevant textures for one material. The tool will attempt to assign them based on keywords in their filenames (see Supported Texture Keywords).
3. Adjust Settings: Go to the "Shader Settings & Features" section. Review and adjust options like Roughness type (is your map Roughness or Glossiness?), Height map mode (Displacement or Bump?), etc.
4. (Optional) Select Objects: If you want to immediately apply the new material to objects in your scene, select them in Maya and ensure "Assign to Selected Objects" is set to "Yes".
5. Create Material: Click the "CREATE Redshift Material" button. The tool will build the Redshift material network. Check the status bar for confirmation or issues.

Batch Creation Workflow (Multiple Materials)

1. Organize Texture Sets: Prepare a directory where each material's textures are clearly named. For example, for two materials, "Wood" and "Metal", your folder might contain:
   Wood_Albedo.png
   Wood_Roughness.png
   Wood_Normal.png
   Metal_Albedo.png
   Metal_Metalness.png
   Metal_Roughness.png
   Metal_Normal.png
   Ensure filenames include keywords that RS MatFlow can recognize (see Supported Texture Keywords). The part of the filename before the keyword (e.g., "Wood", "Metal") will be used as the base material name.
2. Use "Batch Create from Directory": In the "Quick Actions" section, click "Batch Create from Directory". Select the folder containing your organized texture sets.
3. Review Settings (Global): The settings in the "Shader Settings & Features" section will apply to ALL materials created in this batch process. Adjust them as needed before starting the batch. For example, if all your roughness maps are actually glossiness maps, set that option accordingly.
4. Initiate Batch Creation: After selecting the directory, the tool will process the files and create the materials. Monitor the status bar for progress and any messages.

User Preparation Guide

Proper preparation can significantly enhance your experience with RS MatFlow.

What Users Need to Prepare

• Texture Files: Gather all your PBR texture maps. Common formats like .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .tga, .exr, .tiff, .tif are generally supported by Maya's file nodes.
• Consistent Naming Convention: This is crucial for the "Load Multiple" and "Batch Create" features. Use clear, descriptive names for your textures that include keywords indicating the map type.
  Example: For a "RustyMetal" material, your textures could be named:

  • RustyMetal_Albedo.png (or RustyMetal_BaseColor.png, RustyMetal_Diffuse.png)
  • RustyMetal_Metalness.png
  • RustyMetal_Roughness.png
  • RustyMetal_Normal.png
  • RustyMetal_Height.png (or RustyMetal_Displacement.png)
• Organized Texture Sets for Batch Processing: If using the "Batch Create from Directory" feature, ensure all textures for a single material share a common prefix (e.g., MaterialName_) followed by the map type keyword. All these files should be in the directory you select for batch processing.
• Basic Understanding of PBR Maps: Know what each texture map (Albedo, Normal, Roughness, etc.) does and how it contributes to the final material appearance. This helps in verifying connections and troubleshooting.

Preparing UDIM Texture Sequences (UV Tiling)

If your model uses UDIMs (multiple UV tiles) for its textures, it's important to name your texture files correctly so Maya and RS MatFlow can recognize them as a sequence. The tool itself doesn't directly parse UDIMs from a single "Browse" click for a UDIM sequence; rather, you'd select the first file of the sequence (e.g., the .1001. file), and Maya's file node, when set to UDIM mode, handles the rest.

• Standard UDIM Naming: Texture sequences for UDIMs should follow a pattern that Maya can recognize. Common patterns include:
  • AssetName_MapType.<UDIM>.ext (e.g., RobotArm_Color.<UDIM>.png). Maya replaces <UDIM> with the tile number like 1001, 1002.
  • AssetName_MapType.1001.ext, AssetName_MapType.1002.ext, etc. (e.g., MetalPanel_Roughness.1001.exr, MetalPanel_Roughness.1002.exr).
• Example for your "Bomb" asset textures in E:\_MAYA_JOBs2025\20250527_GooglePlay\sourceimages\Bomb\v09:
  Bomb_Albedo.1001.png
  Bomb_Albedo.1002.png
  Bomb_Albedo.1003.png
  ...
  Bomb_Normal.1001.png
  Bomb_Normal.1002.png
  ...
  When browsing for a UDIM set (e.g., Albedo for the Bomb), you would typically select Bomb_Albedo.1001.png.
• Enable UV Tiling in RS MatFlow: Crucially, after loading a UDIM texture (by selecting its first file, e.g., texture.1001.png), you MUST ensure the "UV Tiling Mode (UDIM/MARI)" option in RS MatFlow's "Shader Settings & Features" is set to "Enable". This tells the Maya file node to interpret the path as a UDIM sequence.
• Single File Selection: When using the "Browse..." button in RS MatFlow for a texture slot that will use UDIMs, you only need to select the first texture of the sequence (e.g., the one corresponding to tile 1001). Maya's file node, once set to UDIM Tiling Mode, will automatically detect the other files in the sequence based on the naming pattern.

What Users Should Do (Best Practices)

• Prioritize Clear Filenames: The more accurately your texture filenames describe their content using supported keywords, the better the auto-detection will work.
• Review Auto-Detected Maps: After using "Load Multiple Textures," quickly glance at the assigned paths in the UI to ensure they are correct before creating the material.
• Check Shader Settings: Always double-check the "Shader Settings & Features" section. Settings like "Input Map Type (Roughness/Gloss)" and "Height Map Mode" are common sources of incorrect material appearance if mismatched with your textures.
• Save Your Maya Scene: Especially before batch operations or creating many materials, it's good practice to save your current Maya scene.
• Use the Status Bar: Pay attention to messages in the status bar. It provides feedback on operations, successful creations, and any errors encountered.
• Select Objects for Assignment: If you intend to use the "Assign to Selected Objects: Yes" option, ensure the correct objects are selected in your Maya scene *before* clicking the create button.
• Test with a Single Material First: If you're new to the tool or using a new set of textures, try creating one material manually or with "Load Multiple" to verify settings before running a large batch.

What Users Should NOT Do

• Avoid Vague Filenames: Do not use generic or uninformative texture names like Texture1.png, Map_Final.jpg, or Image.tga if you are relying on auto-detection features. The tool needs keywords to work effectively.
• Don't Assume Default Settings Are Always Correct: While the defaults are sensible, your specific textures might require different settings (e.g., a gloss map needs inversion, which the "Glossiness" setting handles).
• Don't Ignore Texture Resolution and Format: While RS MatFlow handles connections, the quality of your textures (resolution, bit depth, compression) will directly impact the final render. Use appropriate textures for your needs.
• Don't Forget Redshift Render Settings: RS MatFlow creates Redshift materials. Ensure your Maya scene is set up to use Redshift as the renderer and that Redshift render settings are configured appropriately for your desired output (this is outside RS MatFlow's direct control but essential for seeing results).
• Don't Expect Magic with Non-PBR Textures: The tool is designed around PBR workflows. Using textures not intended for PBR slots (e.g., a photo as a normal map) will likely yield incorrect results.

Supported Texture Keywords for Auto-Detection

RS MatFlow uses a predefined list of keywords (case-insensitive) found in filenames to identify and assign textures to the correct material slots. Here are the primary map types and their associated keywords:

• Albedo / Base Color: base_color, basecolor, diffuse, albedo, color
• Metalness: metallic, metal, metalic
• Roughness: roughness, rough, glossiness, gloss (Note: If "glossiness" or "gloss" is detected, you may need to ensure the "Input Map Type" setting is correctly set to "Glossiness" for inversion)
• Height / Displacement / Bump: height, bump, displacement, disp
• Normal: normal, norm, nrm
• Ambient Occlusion (AO): mixed_ao, ao, ambient_occlusion, occlusion, occ, ambient
• Emissive / Emission: emission, emissivemap, emissive, emit, light
• Reflection / Specular: reflection, refl, specular, spec
• Refraction: refraction, refr
• Cavity: cavity, cav
• Translucency / Subsurface Scattering (SSS): translucency, trans, sss, subsurface
• Fuzz / Sheen: fuzz, sheen
• Alpha / Opacity / Mask: alpha, opacity, cutout, mask

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Textures not loading into correct slots:
  • Verify your texture filenames contain one of the supported keywords.
  • Ensure there are no typos in the keywords within your filenames. Keywords are case-insensitive.
  • If using "Load Multiple", make sure you selected files belonging to a single material concept.
• Material looks incorrect (e.g., too shiny, too dull, inverted bumps):
  • Check the "Input Map Type (Roughness/Gloss)" setting. If your map is a glossiness map, it needs to be inverted; select "Glossiness".
  • Verify the "Height Map Mode" setting. If using a bump map, select "Bump"; for displacement, select "Displacement".
  • Ensure your Normal map format (DirectX/OpenGL) is compatible with Redshift's expectations or adjust settings if needed (though RS MatFlow primarily handles connections, the map itself matters).
• Batch creation not working as expected or creating wrong materials:
  • Ensure all texture files in the selected directory are correctly named with a unique material prefix and a supported keyword (e.g., PineWood_Albedo.png, PineWood_Normal.png, then RoughConcrete_Albedo.png, etc.).
  • Check for any stray files in the directory that might be confusing the parser.
  • Confirm the global "Shader Settings & Features" are appropriate for all materials you intend to batch create.
• Material name is not what I wanted:
  • If you need a specific name, type it into the "Material Name" field before creation.
  • If relying on auto-naming from textures, ensure the part of the filename before the keyword is suitable as a base name.
• Tool UI does not appear or shows an error on launch:
  • Ensure you are using a compatible Maya version (2023-2025).
  • Check the Maya Script Editor for any error messages that might indicate missing dependencies or installation issues.
  • Make sure Redshift renderer is properly installed and licensed for your Maya version.