# Cheat sheet: Materials

## Summary

**Last documented update**: January 6 2024 by [mana vortex](https://app.gitbook.com/u/NfZBoxGegfUqB33J9HXuCs6PVaC3 "mention")

This page contains a brief overview of existing materials. Use the Table of Contents or your browser's search (Hotkey: `Ctrl+F`) to quickly find what you're looking for. Any links will lead you to additional context.

{% hint style="success" %}
More and detailed information can be found under [configuring-materials](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials/configuring-materials "mention") and its nested pages!
{% endhint %}

### Wait, this isn't what I'm looking for!

#### General information

* How it works in the abstract: [materials](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials "mention")
* Re-using materials as templates: [re-using-materials-.mi](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/files-and-what-they-do/file-formats/materials/re-using-materials-.mi "mention")
* How it works in the example: [https://github.com/CDPR-Modding-Documentation/Cyberpunk-Modding-Docs/blob/main/for-mod-creators-theory/files-and-what-they-do/file-formats/3d-objects-.mesh-files](https://github.com/CDPR-Modding-Documentation/Cyberpunk-Modding-Docs/blob/main/for-mod-creators-theory/files-and-what-they-do/file-formats/3d-objects-.mesh-files "mention")

#### Multilayered

* General information: [multilayered](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials/multilayered "mention")
* Properties and definition: [https://github.com/CDPR-Modding-Documentation/Cyberpunk-Modding-Docs/blob/main/for-mod-creators-theory/references-lists-and-overviews/broken-reference/README.md](https://github.com/CDPR-Modding-Documentation/Cyberpunk-Modding-Docs/blob/main/for-mod-creators-theory/references-lists-and-overviews/broken-reference/README.md "mention")
* Preview images: [multilayered-previews](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials/multilayered/multilayered-previews "mention")

#### Hands-on:

* [changing-materials-colors-and-textures](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/modding-guides/items-equipment/editing-existing-items/changing-materials-colors-and-textures "mention") (guide)
* [using-a-textured-material](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/modding-guides/items-equipment/editing-existing-items/changing-materials-colors-and-textures/using-a-textured-material "mention") (guide)

***

## Simple / Basic materials

### PBR material

The default PBR material used in Cyberpunk 2077 is `metal_base.remt`

If this overfulfills your needs, you can also try out `engine\materials\pbr_simple.mt`\
, which has only color (RGB), Roughness, and Metalness.

### White MultilayerMask

You can find a mlmask with **three** white layers under the following path:

```
base\characters\cyberware\player\a0_005__strongarms\entities\meshes\textures\white.mlmask
```

{% hint style="info" %}
A white mlMask will apply the selected material to the whole surface of the mesh.
{% endhint %}

## Textured Materials

For further details, see [textured-material-properties](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials/configuring-materials/textured-material-properties "mention")

|                                                             |                                                                                                                                |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `engine\materials\metal_base.remt`                          | Cyberpunk's default textured (or emissive) material. Super versatile, supports glow and transparency                           |
| `base\materials\mesh_decal.mt`                              | For decals etc., supports alpha channel. Can optionally be made half-transparent (for tattoos etc.)                            |
| `base\fx\_shaders\holo_mask.mt`                             | Special effect material that transforms a mesh into an hologram. Can use a custom texture for decal and is color controllable. |
| `base\surfaces\atlases\wood\wood_bare\wood_bare_01_pine.mi` | Basic wood texture, no masks                                                                                                   |

### Plastic (solid, coloured)

Use `engine\materials\metal_base.remt`, the example below has been copied from `base\environment\architecture\watson\japan_town\building\hotel\motel_notell\room\_plastic_black.mi`

<table><thead><tr><th width="232"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>BaseColor</td><td><code>base\materials\placeholder\white.xbm</code></td></tr><tr><td>Normal</td><td>optional: path to your normal map</td></tr><tr><td>Roughness</td><td>optional: path to your roughness map</td></tr><tr><td>RoughnessBias</td><td>0.200000003</td></tr><tr><td>BaseColorScale</td><td>Colour as Vector (Wolvenkit shows a color picker)</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Gradient recolor

`base\environment\decoration\decals\mesh_decal_lines\textures\lines_plain_black.mi`

## Cyberspace Materials

{% hint style="info" %}
[Search the asset browser](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/usage/wolvenkit-search-finding-files) for `cyberspace|blackwall > .mt|.remt`, then right-click the file and select [Asset Browser #Find files using this](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/editor/asset-browser#find-files-using-this "mention")to find files using this kind of shader.
{% endhint %}

|                                                                          |                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `base\characters\common\cyberspace\silverhand_overlay_cyberspace_mml.mi` | A multilayered material for cyberspace appearances. You can use this as base material to get the Johnny effect.                                                       |
| `base\fx_shaders\blackwall_blendable_metal_base.mt`                      | [metal\_base](#textured-materials), but with that fancy blackwall effect that we all know and love. There are blackwall variants of most shaders, check the hint box. |

### Metal Materials

|                                                                            |                                 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| `base\environment\decoration\containers\cases\coffin\textures\m_z_gold.mi` | a shiny gold (metal\_base.remt) |

## Decal materials

{% hint style="info" %}
[Search the asset browser](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/usage/wolvenkit-search-finding-files) for `decal > .mt`, then right-click the file and select [Asset Browser #Find files using this](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/editor/asset-browser#find-files-using-this "mention")to find files using this kind of shader.
{% endhint %}

|                                                             |                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `base\materials\mesh_decal_gradientmap_recolor_emissive.mt` | no animation support. Supports recolouring (via color picker), emissive (EV) and gradientMaps as well as transparency via masking.                                                          |
| `base\materials\mesh_decal_emissive.mt`                     | animation support. Supports emissive (via EV), recolouring (numeric), and tiling.                                                                                                           |
| `base\materials\decal_tintable.mt`                          | no animation support, no emissive, but Diffuse, Normal, Roughness and Metalness, and allows different color assignments for R, G and B channels of `TintMaskTexture`. Not used by anything. |
| `base\materials\mesh_decal_multitinted.mt`                  | unfortunately not used by anything, but supports up to 10 tints! If anyone finds out how the `TintMaskTexture` needs to look, please document!                                              |

## Emissive Materials

{% hint style="info" %}
[Search the asset browser](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/usage/wolvenkit-search-finding-files) for `emissive > .mt|.remt`, then right-click the file and select [Asset Browser #Find files using this](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/editor/asset-browser#find-files-using-this "mention")to find files using this kind of shader.
{% endhint %}

See [emissive-material-properties](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials/configuring-materials/emissive-material-properties "mention")for how it works and how to configure it.

| material                                                                                                    | description                                                                                                                                                        |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `base\environment\decoration\furniture\kitchen\neokitsch_fridge\textures\mi_neokitsch_fridge_z_emissive.mi` | White emissive bright glow (from a fridge)                                                                                                                         |
| `base\materials\screen\screen_fluff_blue.mi`                                                                | blue/pinkish oscillating glow (from the collar of the jacket V wears in the trailer)                                                                               |
| `base\fx\shaders\neon_tubes.mt`                                                                             | A glowing shader with color parameter                                                                                                                              |
| `base\fx\shaders\signages.mt`                                                                               | The standard neon for advertising fonts in Night City. Comes in many colours, can be customized via textures and gradients. Check "city\_deco\_font" for examples. |
| `base\fx\shaders\hologram_two_sided.mt`                                                                     | half-transparent holo material, allows three colours to tint it                                                                                                    |
| `base\vehicles\standard\v_standard3_militech_hellhound\entities\meshes\textures\max_tac_stripe_01.mi`       | Use it with any texture for a cool rotating glow shader (it's fun)                                                                                                 |
| `base/fx/shaders/device_diode.mt`                                                                           | A glowing shader with RGB color attribute and up to three glowing shades                                                                                           |

### Holo Shaders

| material                        | description                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `base\fx\_shaders\hologram.mt`  | Holo material ([example .mi](https://github.com/CDPR-Modding-Documentation/Cyberpunk-Modding-Docs/blob/main/_example_mods_and_templates/material_templates/holo/hologram_material_template.mi)) |
| `base\fx\_shaders\holo_mask.mt` | Special effect material that transforms a mesh into a hologram. Can use a custom texture for decal and is color controllable.                                                                   |

### Blackbody Shaders

{% hint style="info" %}
[Search the asset browser](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/usage/wolvenkit-search-finding-files) for `blackbody > .mt|.remt`, then right-click the file and select [Asset Browser #Find files using this](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/editor/asset-browser#find-files-using-this "mention")to find files using this kind of shader.
{% endhint %}

Blackbody shaders are used for **heat**. Their colour can be adjusted via the `temperature` parameter.

| material                                         | description                                                                                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `base\fx\shaders\metal_base_blackbody.mt`        | A PBR temperature shader for numeric values, can be used in e.g glowing coal (find files using this for examples) |
| `base\fx\shaders\blackbodyradiation.mt`          | A temperature shader with smoke effects                                                                           |
| `base\fx_shaders\multilayer_blackbody_inject.mt` | A temperature shader with mlmask and -setup                                                                       |
| `base\fx\shaders\blackbody_simple.mt`            | A temperature shader with a texture and a numeric temperature value                                               |

### FX Shaders

{% hint style="info" %}
[Search the asset browser](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/usage/wolvenkit-search-finding-files) for `fx > .mt|.remt`, then right-click the file and select [Asset Browser #Find files using this](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/editor/asset-browser#find-files-using-this "mention")to find files using this kind of shader.
{% endhint %}

FX shaders are animated effect shaders.

| material                                  | description                                                                                                                  |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `base\fx\shaders\metal_base_glitter.mt`   | A PBR temperature shader. Configured with numeric values.                                                                    |
| `base\fx\shaders\metal_base_blackbody.mt` | A blackbody shader for e.g. glowing coal. Copy from `base\environment\decoration\misc\foliage\burnt_wood\burnt_wood_ab.mesh` |
| `base\fx_shaders\oda_helm.mt`             | Oda's helmet shader. Colour is assigned via the lightComponent in the helmet's .ent file                                     |
| `base\fx_shaders\lightning_plasma.mt`     | Used by female V's electric mantis blades and nothing else                                                                   |

Something else to dig into: `emitters/particleDrawer/meshes`

## Transparent

### Glass

{% hint style="info" %}
[Search the asset browser](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/usage/wolvenkit-search-finding-files) for `glass > .mt|.remt`, then right-click the file and select [Asset Browser #Find files using this](https://app.gitbook.com/s/-MP_ozZVx2gRZUPXkd4r/wolvenkit-app/editor/asset-browser#find-files-using-this "mention")to find files using this kind of shader.
{% endhint %}

For more details on glass materials and instructions on how to configure them, see [here](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/materials#glass).

<table><thead><tr><th width="344"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Basic glass, with warping properties, simple tint as color, simple opacity</td><td><code>base\materials\glass_onesided.mt</code></td></tr><tr><td>Non-warping glass, destructible, tintable via colors</td><td><code>base\vehicles\common\materials\glass_windshield_tinted_black.mi</code></td></tr><tr><td>Device screen glass</td><td><code>base\fx\shaders\parallaxscreen.mt</code></td></tr></tbody></table>

### Plastic (see-through)

For a full documentation of this material, check [glass-material-properties](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials/configuring-materials/glass-material-properties "mention") -> [#transparent-plastic](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/materials/configuring-materials/glass-material-properties#transparent-plastic "mention")

<table><thead><tr><th width="344"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>base\materials\glass_onesided.mt</td><td>take from Hanako's dress, <code>localMaterialBuffer.materials.transparent</code> <code>base\characters\main_npc\hanako\t1_001_wa_dress__hanako.mesh</code></td></tr></tbody></table>

### See-through cloth

For a full documentation of this material, check [glass-material-properties](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/for-mod-creators-theory/materials/configuring-materials/glass-material-properties "mention") -> [#see-through-cloth](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/materials/configuring-materials/glass-material-properties#see-through-cloth "mention")

<table><thead><tr><th width="344"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>base\materials\glass_onesided.mt</td><td>take from mana's <a href="https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/13447">Barong Tagalog</a> mod, <code>manavortex\clothing\torso\barong_tagalog\meshes\pma__barong__base_body.mesh</code> or <a href="https://github.com/CDPR-Modding-Documentation/Cyberpunk-Modding-Docs/blob/main/_example_mods_and_templates/material_templates/transparent/transparent_cloth.mi">download the .mi file</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Liquid materials

Use `base\materials\fillable_fluid_vertex.mt` to fill vessels, or see [here ](https://wiki.redmodding.org/cyberpunk-2077-modding/materials#liquid)for details.

## Reflective/Mirror-ish materials

Mirrors are generally a [farce](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2270291-alignment-charts) but here are your options:

* `metal_base.remt` with roughness set to black and metalness set to white. Quick in-game example here: `base\environment\decoration\furniture\bathroom\mirror\mirror_a.mesh`
* `base\vehicles\common\materials\glass_tech_reflective.mi`: this may seem a little better depending on your use case (for eg car side mirrors). Since the base material is just `base\materials\glass.mt` - you'll need to place a black planar mesh behind the mirror mesh so that it isn't see through and adjust the `TintColor` + `GlassSpecularColor` to a light-ish grey

Reflections in both the above cases are going to be [cubemaps ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cube_mapping)in non-RT graphic modes so they will not be high res or even accurate most of the time (you won't see NPCs for example)

With ray tracing, the reflection will look better and accurate

Below example image use `glass_tech_reflective.mi`

| Non-ray traced cubemap reflection                                                                                                                                                                    | Ray traced reflections                                                                                                                                                                               |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| ![](https://1427525421-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F4gzcGtLrr90pVjAWVdTc%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-5ee7a29624903749c273a48fc49b1fcff41adbd3%2Fimage.png?alt=media) | ![](https://1427525421-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F4gzcGtLrr90pVjAWVdTc%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2a742a871bdb860642fae482dd368ed898cfa0f6%2Fimage.png?alt=media) |

## Other materials

Cyberpunk 2077 uses materials cleverly, and often you can save a lot of work by simply re-using something CDPR has already defined

### Zipper

You can find a ready-to-use zipper material by copying `dec_zipper` from `base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\t1_057_tankbra\t1_057_pwa_tankbra.mesh`

### Stitches

Find a ready-to use stitches material by copying `dec_stitches` from `base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\t1_057_tankbra\t1_057_pwa_tankbra.mesh`

This material uses `metal_base.remt` and can be recoloured via `BaseColorScale` vector attribute (Wolvenkit will show a color picker)


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