Material Tab

In the Material tab, you can click Preset or Editor.

Material Preview

You can see a preview of the material in the top left of the Material tab by selecting either Preset or Editor. The preview updates as you make changes. To view a full‐size preview, double‐click the image.

Presets

This option allows you to quickly transform a standard SketchUp material into a Thea material through a simplified interface.
You can choose from a list of ready to use materials like Metal, Car Paint, Glass, etc. Next to 'Default Preset' click the hamburger menu icon, and then click a material.

Loading & Saving Thea materials

Thea Materials can be saved as .mat.pack and .mat.thea files. Right‐click on the material preview area and select Load or Save Thea material.

.mat.thea: This file type includes only the material description, without any bitmaps.
.mat.pack: This file type includes the material description, bitmap files, and material preview.

Tip: When rendering interactively in the Thea Window, the cursor changes to a cross‐hair, indicating that you can select a material directly in the rendered image. Click once to open the Material tab and display the material properties.

Customize a Preset Material

At the far right of a channel (Color, Reflections, Roughness, etc.), click the icon to choose from the following options:

  • SketchUp: Use the color defined in SketchUp's material tray.
  • Color: Select a custom color.
  • Bitmap: Select a bitmap texture. You can preview the bitmap texture and edit the parameters (Tonemapping, UV Editing, etc.)

    Tip: When switching from the Editor back to Presets a small popup will ask you whether you want to reset back to a default preset, making sure that you haven't accidentally clicked on it and lose your material modifications.

Thea Cursor
When the Thea Tool window is open, the SketchUp cursor changes to the Thea cursor, indicating that you can click on a face to pick the corresponding material for editing. The Thea Cursor can also be used to select and edit Thea Lights from the scene.

Tip: When rendering interactively in the Thea Window, the cursor changes to a cross‐hair, indicating that you can select a material directly in the rendered image. Click once to open the Material tab and display the material properties.