Triggers
- Creating a new Material asset
- Changing a material color or shader
- Dragging a material onto a MeshRenderer or Mesh
Manual Material Tasks
Step-by-step instructions for Material operations inside the Unity Editor. Paths assume the default English Unity UI; translate the labels into the user's Unity language when replying.
When to guide manually vs automate
Guide manually when the user can finish the task in 3 clicks or fewer: creating one Material, picking a color, or assigning a Material to one object.
Automate when the task involves bulk material creation, batch property edits, shader keyword toggles across many materials, or render-queue changes — use the material REST module instead.
Create a Material asset
Step 1 — Open the create menu in the Project window
Right-click in the Project window, then choose Create > Material.
Alternative path:
- Main menu
Assets > Create > Material
Step 2 — Name the Material
Type the new name and press Enter.
Change the Material color
Step 1 — Select the Material
Click the Material asset in the Project window.
Step 2 — Edit the Base Color / Albedo
In the Inspector:
- For URP/HDRP Lit shaders, click the Base Map color swatch (or Base Color field).
- For Built-in Standard, click the Albedo color swatch.
- Pick a color in the color picker and close it.
Change the shader
Step 1 — Select the Material
Select the Material asset in the Project window.
Step 2 — Change Shader
At the top of the Inspector, click the Shader dropdown and choose a shader (e.g., Universal Render Pipeline > Lit, Standard, Unlit/Color).
The available shader list depends on the active render pipeline and installed packages.
Assign a Material to an object
Step 1 — Drag the Material
Click and drag the Material asset from the Project window.
Step 2 — Drop it onto the object
Drop the Material onto:
- The object in the Scene view.
- The object's entry in the Hierarchy.
- The Material slot in the Mesh Renderer component in the Inspector.
Create and assign a Material quickly
Step 1 — Drag the Material
Drag a Material asset from the Project window.
Step 2 — Drop it onto a blank Project folder
Hold Ctrl (or follow the on-screen modifier hint) while dropping if you want to duplicate the Material instead.
Automate instead?
If the user wants to edit many Materials, set exact numeric properties, swap shaders in bulk, or assign Materials to many objects, switch to the REST module:
