Definition
PBR materials use albedo, roughness, metallic, and normal maps to produce consistent results across lighting conditions. They are the standard in architectural visualization.
Why it matters
PBR is why a marble floor looks like marble in both bright daylight and dim evening light without retuning. It removes guesswork from material setup.
Key points
- •Core maps: albedo (colour), roughness, metallic, normal, and often AO and height.
- •Same material library works across V-Ray, Unreal, Unity, and Blender.
- •Resolution matters: 2K is fine for distance, 4K+ for hero close-ups.
Examples
- ›A teakwood PBR set used identically on flooring, doors, and furniture.
- ›Brushed-steel taps that read correctly under both warm and cool lighting.