diff --git a/src/webgl/3d_primitives.js b/src/webgl/3d_primitives.js
index 6ed2ed98d2..61a7f85066 100644
--- a/src/webgl/3d_primitives.js
+++ b/src/webgl/3d_primitives.js
@@ -113,6 +113,15 @@ function primitives3D(p5, fn) {
    * once to create the new 3D shape.
    * Note: `buildGeometry()` can only be used in WebGL mode.
    *
+   * if you change the material partway through the callback, say
+   * `texture(wood)` then a `box()`, then `texture(metal)` then a `sphere()`,
+   * each switch starts a new part. the built geometry then draws with both
+   * materials, the same way a multi-material model loaded from a file does. the
+   * thinking is that building a shape in code and loading one from disk should
+   * feel identical, so you don't learn two different mental models for the same
+   * result. a plain `fill()` change does not split it, since a flat colour is
+   * kept per vertex.
+   *
    * @method buildGeometry
    * @param {Function} callback function that draws the shape.
    * @returns {p5.Geometry} new 3D shape.
diff --git a/src/webgl/loading.js b/src/webgl/loading.js
index f9a546f03b..89f3981b1d 100755
--- a/src/webgl/loading.js
+++ b/src/webgl/loading.js
@@ -189,10 +189,15 @@ function loading(p5, fn) {
    * URLs such as `'https://example.com/model.obj'` may be blocked due to browser
    * security. The `path` parameter can also be defined as a [`Request`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Request)
    * object for more advanced usage.
-   * Note: When loading a `.obj` file that references materials stored in
-   * `.mtl` files, p5.js will attempt to load and apply those materials.
-   * To ensure that the `.obj` file reads the `.mtl` file correctly include the
-   * `.mtl` file alongside it.
+   * note: when a `.obj` file references materials in a `.mtl` file, p5.js loads
+   * and applies them. a model with several materials is drawn with each material
+   * on its own part, so a multi-material model comes out looking the way it was
+   * exported instead of one flat grey shape. the texture maps a material can use
+   * are the diffuse (`map_Kd`), specular (`map_Ks`), ambient (`map_Ka`),
+   * shininess (`map_Ns`), and normal/bump (`map_Bump`) maps. keep the `.mtl`
+   * file and its texture images next to the `.obj` so the paths resolve. a
+   * texture that fails to load is skipped with a warning rather than failing the
+   * whole model.
    *
    * The first way to call `loadModel()` has three optional parameters after the
    * file path. The first optional parameter, `successCallback`, is a function
@@ -1110,6 +1115,13 @@ function loading(p5, fn) {
    *
    * Note: `model()` can only be used in WebGL mode.
    *
+   * the whole idea here is that you never have to think about how many materials
+   * a model has. if it was exported with several (say a character with skin, a
+   * shirt, and shoes), each one is drawn on its own part with its own colour and
+   * textures, and you still just call `model(shape)`. one material or twenty,
+   * the call is the same, so a model loaded from blender or sketchfab shows up
+   * looking the way its maker intended instead of one flat grey shape.
+   *
    * ```js example
    * // Click and drag the mouse to view the scene from different angles.
    *