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Importer UI

Material Variants

Use the Material Variants panel to inspect and work with imported glTF and glb material variants inside Maya.

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Courtesy by Khronos glTF sample assets

The panel is dockable and can also be used as a floating window.

How to Use Material Variants

  1. File Selection: Choose the imported file from the dropdown at the top of the panel
  2. Variant Selection: Select one of the available material variants listed for that file
  3. Display Variant: Click Display Variant to show the selected variant in the current scene
  4. Assign Variant: Use Assign Variant when you want to assign the selected variant to the current Maya selection

Features

  • Dockable UI: Use the panel docked in Maya or as a floating window
  • Multi-file Support: Switch between imported files that contain material variants
  • Variant Display: Preview the selected variant directly in the scene
  • Variant Editing: Rename or delete variants directly in the panel
  • Variant Status: See how many variants are available and whether they are assigned or empty

Material variants enable artists and designers to quickly experiment with different looks and styles for their 3D assets without needing to manage separate files for each variation.

Important Note

Note: Avoid using "Delete Unused Nodes" from the Hypershade Edit menu when working with material variants. This removes materials that may still be needed by other variants, which can prevent variant switching from working correctly.