# Materials Mode

> Materials mode provides a complete pipeline for creating, editing, validating, and deploying Unreal Engine Material graphs, from expression nodes and preview thumbnails through to one-click deploy and sending a material back from Unreal into GraphDeck.

Materials mode provides a complete pipeline for creating, editing, and deploying Unreal Engine Material graphs.

## Material-Specific Features

- Data-flow only. No exec wires. Materials are purely data-flow graphs.
- Preview thumbnails: colour swatches on Constant3Vector nodes, scalar bars on constants, parameter name display, noise approximations.
- Material properties panel for setting domain (Surface, Post Process, etc.), blend mode, shading model, two-sided toggle.
- Parameter list showing scalar, vector, texture, and static switch parameters grouped by category.
- Texture slots panel showing which textures the material references.

## Material Validation

Real-time validation rules check your material before deploy. Catches common issues like wrong blend modes, missing connections, and performance concerns.

## Material Deploy

One-click deploy creates the material asset in Unreal Engine, pastes all expression nodes with correct positions and connections, wires the Material Result node, applies material settings, and compiles. Verified at 44/44 expressions, 48/48 inter-node wires, 7/7 result connections. Zero failures.

## Send Material to GraphDeck

Click the GraphDeck button in Unreal Engine's Material Editor toolbar. The plugin captures the full material graph including all expressions, connections, and properties. View it on canvas, save to your library, or ask the AI to explain it.

[Prev: Blueprints Mode](https://graphdeck.app/docs/blueprints-mode) · [Next: The Canvas](https://graphdeck.app/docs/canvas)

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