MatLayer 2.0.4

This update brings improved importing for texture sets, improved support for custom group nodes, support for using alternative UV maps for projection
and exporting, and the inclusion of an ambient occlusion material channel.

Made for Blender version: 4.0.0
Not backwards compatible with previous MatLayer materials.

New Features:

• Added the ability to define a UV map for a specified layer when using UV layer projection.
• Added the ability to bake textures when exporting to a specified UV map. This makes custom texture atlasing possible.
• Made texture properties from custom group nodes show in the user interface.
• The import texture set operator can now import some images using commonly used naming conventions for channel packed textures.
• The import texture set operator correctly imports texture sets using names such as 'metallic'.
• The import texture set operator now imports textures using the naming convention that starts with 'T_', the standard naming convention for game engine textures.
• Added ambient occlusion material channel.

Tweaks:

• Changed the default bake padding from 32px to 14px.

User Interface:

• Small UI tweaks to some layer projection settings.
• Moved the import texture set button next to the layer operator buttons.

Bug Fixes, Clean up:

• Fixed custom group nodes not connecting to layer projection.
• Fixed material channels not relinking for custom node groups.
• Added git ignores for pycache files, and removed existing pycache files from remote repo.
• Removed conversion mix nodes that were automatically added to the MatLayer BSDF group node for Blender 4.0.

MatLayer 2.0.3

This version adds more material channels used in the new Principled BSDF (Blender 4.0) such as sheen, and coat. This allows users to create more realistic and complex materials using the add-on. This release also comes with a few new features, and bug fixes.

Made for Blender version: 4.0
Not backwards compatible with previous MatLayer materials.

Change Log:

• Added an auto-save for image textures accessible from add-on preferences.
• Added subsurface radius, specular tint, coat roughness, coat tint, coat normal, sheen, sheen roughness, sheen tint, and displacement material channels to the texture set options.
• Fixed a bug that caused material nodes to become unorganized when swapping between value node types or layer projection methods.
• Changed how material channel toggles are displayed in the interface.
• Fixed parsing issues caused by using underscores in material names.
• Fixed parsing issues caused by using underscores in the object's name.
• Fixed external mesh map image names not updating properly.
• Fixed adding a new image to a material channel causing an error.
• Made exporting texture always bake at 1 texture sample.
• Fixed disabling mesh map previews not reapplying originally applied materials.
• Fixed disabling mesh map preview not resetting the render engine and viewport shading modes.
• Set the default subsurface method to random-walk (was random-walk-skin).
• Added a required distance setting for mesh map thickness baking and provided a better default value.
• Changed mesh map settings to save per blend file, instead of being saved globally in the users preferences.

MatLayer 2.0.2

This release fixes some major bugs with mesh map baking, toggling material channels on / off and implements better options for managing external textures.

Made for Blender version: 4.0
Backwards compatible with MatLayer version: 2.0.1
Change Log:

• Removed the icon from the load export template menu because it wasn't required and was identical to the icon used in the save export template operator.
• Fixed many issues with toggling on / off material channels in the texture set settings.
• Fixed mesh maps saving in the wrong resolution when using upscaling.
• Changed baked mesh maps to save in uncompressed png format, instead of open exr. This also fixes the bug where images were saving as png files with an exr extension.
• Changed baked mesh maps to save in their own folder.
• Made all folder properties store in the blend file, instead of in add-on preferences. This means users can have unique folder paths per blend which is much more useful.
• Made it possible to define custom paths for custom folders for all images MatLayer saves externally.
• Added the ability to mark debug log messages as errors or warnings.
• Removed auto snapping adjustments when selecting layers. This auto snapping adjustment feature implemented to make it easier to move decal layer objects was more annoying and confusing for users than it was helpful.
• Updated the MatLayer BSDF to be more compatible with Blender 4.0. This improved performance slightly, but makes Blender 3.6 materials no longer compatible.

MatLayer 2.0.1

This release of MatLayer fixes many small bugs, improves external and internal image file management, and upgrades the supported Blender version to 4.0.

Made for Blender version: 4.0
Compatible with previous MatLayer Versions: No
Change Log:

• Fixed the default white value in the material layer filter being incorrect.
• Fixed the default exporting names for metallic / roughness used in the Unity export templates.
• Fixed Unity and CryEngine export templates not channel packing data into alpha correctly.
• Implemented a fix for normal map data not exporting properly when exporting multiple textures.
• Made baked material channel textures that were packed into textures delete after exporting.
• Changed saving of raw images to only save when they don't already exist within the raw (external) texture folder.
• Made exporting UVs display a completion message.
• Made changing to the export tab update the available export templates.
• Corrected errors in the 'Painted Model (Diffuse)' export template.
• Transferred export colorspace swapping to use the new linear Rec 709 space in Blender 4.0.
• Changed many export templates to use 32 bit color depth for color and normal maps.
• Updated snapping modes for Blender 4.0.
• Fixed an error that occurred when swapping normal blending modes for decal layers.
• Fixed images created directly in material channels not saving to disk.
• Made view layers high poly objects are included in, include themselves in the view layer before baking mesh maps.
• Made it possible to change the base normal map.
• Changed mesh maps to always bake into 32-bit color depth images.
• Changed edge wear masking to mask only on geometry edges.
• Made baking mesh maps set the viewport shading mode to material shading.
• Tweaked edge wear default settings.
• Added more texture set resolution options.
• Removed the deprecated triplanar projection sub-menu.
• Implemented texture interpolation mode swapping.
• Fixed material nodes resetting to origin when swapping to triplanar layer projection.
• Fixed a mesh map baking error that occurred when not using a high poly object.
• Made mesh map images save to disk instead of pack.
• Made the blend file save before mesh map baking.
• Updated the active object name change handler to also handle updating external mesh map images.
• Fixed the open mesh map baking folder button opening the wrong folder.
• Updated the supported Blender version number.
• Fixed unused mask group nodes from deleted materials causing conflicts when replaced.
• Added a utility function that will remove unused internal and external images.
• Added fake user toggles for images in the UI.
• Added operators to automatically make cage objects for mesh map baking.
• Fixed normal material channel isolation not working.
• Fixed material channel isolation not working when the top layer is hidden.

MatLayer 2.0.0

After lots of hard work and long nights I'm proud to release MatLayer 2.

The main focus of this release was initially better performance, bug fixes and stability, but I've implemented some massive improvements to workflow, quality and some new features!

Made for Blender version: 3.6.1
Compatible with previous MatLayer Versions: No
Change Log:

MISC

• Heavily optimized the layered material node format, compiling shaders is much faster now.
• Changed how material properties are accessed internally, which reduces the chance of material format corruption to almost zero.
• Made changes to how material properties are accessed, making editing them in the user interface much faster.
• Added a quick HDRI setup (for rendered mode) with a few settings.
• Added layer blending modes for blending normal maps together correctly (whiteout, and re-oriented normal map mixing).
• Added the ability to merge materials effectively copying the layers from a premade material to the active material.
• Added auto application of mesh maps for whenever they are used in a material effect.
• Optimized blurring nodes so they compile faster.
• Implemented an alpha material channel, to allow transparent materials / objects.
• Implemented the ability to blend image alpha into the layers mask.
• Replaced the material filter stack with group node filtering.
• Implemented the ability to change the output channel between RGBA values for individual material channels (this allows imported channel packed textures to be added properly to layers).
• Fixed normal and height maps being mixed incorrectly.
• Fixed some axis of triplanar projection being incorrectly flipped.
• Made small optimizations to triplanar projection, making it slightly faster.

MASKING

• Added isolation toggle for layer masks.
• Added grunge mask for simulating concave dirt effects.
• Added edge wear mask for simulating scuffed edges.
• Added linear gradient mask for quickly applying non-destructive linear gradient masking.
• Added blurring for all applicable mask types.
• Added mesh map masks that auto apply the active objects mesh maps.

MESH MAPS

• Added a loading bar for mesh map baking.
• Added baking for world space normals (used for efficient world space directional masking).
• Added support for baking high to low poly details for all mesh maps (was originally just normals).
• Changed the curvature mesh map to produce significantly more accurate mesh maps.
• Optimized the curvature mesh map to bake slightly faster than previous versions.
• Added the ability to preview mesh map bakes using Cycles before baking.
• Added anti-aliasing for mesh map baking (uses super sampling).
• Added the ability to upscale mesh maps from a lower bake resolution, this significantly increases baking speed and produces slightly better outputs in some cases.
• Added 'Auto Cage' which automatically creates a baking cage, this simulates average normal baking and is now the default baking mode.
• Adjusted the sampling for mesh map baking quality presets.
• Overhauled baking settings for all mesh maps.
• Implemented 'relative to bounding box' for distance based mesh map settings.
• Changed the default workspace to include an asset browser with a few default materials.
• Removed mesh map resolution parameters, the texture set resolution is used instead to define mesh map baking target pixel resolution.
• Made base normal mesh maps (created by baking high to low poly normal map data) apply automatically.

USER INTERFACE

• Updated the material channel property user interface to display material properties in a more compact manner.

EXPORTING

• Added new RGBA channel packing system in the exporting tab with a many channel packing setups for commonly used softwares and formats.
• Added the ability to export all materials applied to an object from all material slots to a single texture set.
• Added the ability to export a texture set for each material.
• Added the ability to change the export textures colorspace.
• Fixed errors with targa texture file exporting.
• Fixed errors with open exr texture file exporting.
• Implemented the ability to save export templates.

BUG FIXES

• Swapping active materials now refreshes the user interface.
• Swapping the active material index now refreshing the user interface.
• Renaming materials now updates all group nodes associated with that material.
• Selecting new objects now properly refreshes the user interface.
• Adding, removing, deleting material slots now properly refreshes the user interface.
• Fixed an issue with texture size width not syncing with texture size height in the texture set settings.

MatLayer 1.0.5

This version includes important bug fixes that help adjust blend data when objects and materials are manually renamed, in addition to essential bug fixes for users using Blender in other languages other than English. This update also has some minor optimization and user interface improvements.

Made for Blender version: 3.6.1
Compatible with previous MatLayer Versions: No (only if you were not using Blender with the language preference set to English)
Change Log:

• Fixed many issues related to accessing nodes by names, which caused traceback errors when having Blender set to another language other than English.
• Added support for importing texture sets using French names, courtesy of Mok who helped translate.
• Renamed imported assets to use an abbreviated prefix (i.e Brush assets - Matlayer_Hard was renamed to ML_Hard)
• Lots of internal code organization.
• Fixed adding a new layer call node reading functions (results in a small performance increase).
• Changed projection user interface to use available space more optimally.
• Fixed mesh maps becoming un-synced from objects when their respective object is renamed.
• Fixed materials becoming broken in the user interface when they are manually renamed.
• Added buttons to open the folders containing mesh maps or exported folders in the file explorer.
• Fixed an issue with some baked mesh map images being created with the wrong colorspace.
• Added an experimental bevel edge baking method.
• Removed automatically added mask for decal layers.

Matlayer 1.0.4

This release contains a few important bug fixes.

Made for Blender version: 3.6.1
Compatible with previous MatLayer Versions: No
Change Log:

• Fixed x triplanar scale not updating node values correctly.
• Fixed custom group nodes not connecting to triplanar projection mapping.
• Fixed an error that occured when duplicating a material layer that has masks using triplanar projection.
• Fixed blurring not working for decal masks.

Matlayer 1.0.3 (Unstable)

This version includes important performance and bug fixes, a new built in blur filter, and a new filter for adjusting the intensity of normal maps.
Requires Blender Version: 3.6+
Compatible with previous MatLayer Versions: No
Change Log:

• Added a blurring settings for material layers and masks.
• Added a normal map intensity filter.
• Fixed normal map fix node tree being duplicated when swapping to triplanar projection.
• Made material nodes be automatically read for the active material when a blend file is loaded.
• Fixed an error when material layers with filters applied are moved up / down on the layer stack.
• Fixed UV / flat projection scale not updating nodes when values are changed in the user interface.
• Fixed selecting material layers with masks using triplanar projection causing the masks to delink.
• Fixed selecting a material layer triggering reading and relinking multiple times which caused performance issues.
• Fixed material channel toggles for material filters not updating properly in the user interface.
• Fixed an issue with masks using triplanar projection not reconnecting properly.

Matlayer 1.0.2 (Unstable)

Important stability and bug fixes, especially a really important fix for removing seams from triplanar projection.

Requires Blender Version: 3.6+
Compatible with previous MatLayer Versions: No
Change Log:

• Fixed multiple issues with material filter relinking (and made some small optimizations).
• Fixed normal map fix node not relinking properly.
• Fixed an incorrect calculation with triplanar projection normal conversion to tangent space.

Matlayer 1.0.1 (Unstable)

Important stability updates and fixes for using material filters and masks using triplanar projection and material filters. This update also adds a new interface section for adding / removing separate materials to meshes.

Requires Blender Version: 3.6+
Compatible with previous MatLayer Versions: No
Change Log:

• Added material slot editing user interface.
• Ambient occlusion default intensity lowered 0.5 -> 0.15
• Fixed the labels of masks using triplanar projection displaying as custom group masks in the user interface.
• Fixed errors that occured when swapping between flat and triplanar projection for masks.
• Fixed image texture mask properties displaying group inputs.
• Fixed texture masks using triplanar projection mode not updating in the user interface properly.
• Fixed the material properties not always updating when a new material slot is selected.
• Updated the read layer nodes operator description.
• Fixed an issue that would cause a relinking error when adding a material filter to a layer using triplanar projection.
• Fixed material filters not relinking properly when moved up / down on their stack.
• Fixed material filters not relinking after adding multiple material filters (3+).
• Fixed material filters not reindexing properly when a material filter is deleted.
• Removed mask node_type property which was deprecated yet still used in some areas.
• Fixed custom group nodes not triggering relinking when updated for both materials and masks.
• Made layer mapping nodes automatically connect to mapping node inputs that follow a naming convention.