Materials Tab
Enable Instancing
This is to enable the GPU instancing functionality of the Unity material. The issue with this is that the materials are only used a single time on a single item in the scene, so we do not gain a benefit from this feature. This might cause more performance issues in the long run if enabled.
Model Material Section
There are five sections for the main model material section. They are the body, head, hair, eye and mouth materials. These will define the basic model materials that are used on this particular model. Once the model is enabled during runtime, the system will process the model and replace any instance of this material inside the prefab with an internally generated material. This material then has all of the values from Atavism applied to it for the users to visually see. This is required since any change to any material will cause the material to change all copies of the material in the scene. With this method, we create a unique material for the players in the scene and dispose of it when it’s no longer needed. See the infographic below on how to identify your materials.
Body
This is the main material for the body that will be targeted for a color. If you have multiple materials see the section for the synced materials below. This is the only required material to fill out. See the infographic below on how to identify your materials.
Head
Some models have a separate head material that is used to skin just the head itself. This creates an issue where the materials sometimes are colored differently, so to combat this, the system will sync any changes to the color of the body to the head material automatically. This is an optional field and is not required to function if the head does not have a separate material. In this case, just leave the field blank. See the infographic below on how to identify your materials.
Hair
In order for the hair to change color you will need to define your hair materials. If your model has a separate hair material, you can place it here for the system to target. If your hair is all part of the same material, then you will need to create a set of items for the shader to target and update the materials (More info soon).
Eye
In order for the eye to change color you will need to define your eye materials. If your model has a separate eye material, you can place it here for the system to target. Typically this would be the colored portion of the eye. If your eye is all part of the same material, then you will need to create a set of items for the shader to target and update the materials (More info soon).
Mouth
Some models have mouth’s that can be shaded (Meshtint and some Synty). If your model has a separate mouth material, you can place it here for the system to target. If your mouth is all part of the same material, then you will need to create a set of items for the shader to target and update the materials (More info soon).
How to Identify Materials
In the infographic below, selecting the hips (1), will allow you to pull up the Mesh, Material (2) and Shaders (3) assigned. Since 8.5.1 there is no longer a need to select the shader as the system will select the appropriate shader from the material.
The system looks specifically for the shader properties listed (4), creating your own shaders with these handles will allow the system to target your shader. Alternatively, you can use the Standard shader and then use the Direct Set Color options on the Color Options Tab.
Skin Materials to Sync
Skin materials to sync is a functionality that will allow you to synchronize the colors between multiple different type of materials instead of just setting the one color. The head material is automatically synced. This is especially useful where a model has been separated out to multiple parts that all use their own unique material for that specific part.
Hair Materials to Sync
Similar to the skin materials to sync, this will allow you to synchronize the colors between multiple different type of materials instead of just setting the one color. This is typically used for any additional body hair materials you want to sync with the primary hair item. The system does allow for different hair color options and this is enabled on the Color Options tab, under the checkmark for Enabler Multiple Character Colors.
Optional Materials Section
This section allows you to setup additional skin colors to switch between. Instead of allowing the users to select a color, this will allow them to switch between different materials completely for the character. This should be used to create different races that use unique coloring and texture options.
Body and Head Material
The head material should be in line with the body material, the system will switch between the different items in sync with one another. This is to try and prevent the head from having a different material and color then the body.
Hair Material
This is for different textured materials to be applied to the hair.
Eye Material
This is for different textured materials to be applied to the eye.
Mouth Material
This is for different textured materials to be applied to the mouth.