Usage - Getting Started - USL Docs

USL lets you browse a library of 2,000+ PBR materials and push them directly into your DCC as a fully-built shader network - correct renderer, correct texture mappings, ready to render.

The library includes the CC0 collection from ambientCG alongside PixelConstruct’s own continuously expanding set of shaders and surface types. Support on Patreon to help grow the library faster.

Before You Start

Make sure the bridge plugin is installed and your DCC is connected. If you haven’t done this yet, see the Plugin Installation guide first.

The Interface

When USL opens you’ll see the material browser - a searchable grid of PBR material thumbnails.

Control	What it does
Search bar	Filter by material name, category, or tag
Category list	Browse by surface type (concrete, fabric, metal, etc.)
Sort dropdown	Sort by name, date added, or recently used
Res: dropdown	Filter to materials with a specific resolution (1K, 2K, 4K, 8K)
Thumbnail slider	Adjust icon size from compact grid to large preview
Material card	Click once to push to your connected DCC

Finding a Material

Type in the search bar to filter by name - for example brick, scratched metal, or wood floor. You can also click a category in the sidebar to browse by surface type.

The library contains two collections. The ambientCG collection is CC0 (public domain), no attribution required, use freely in any project. Alongside it, PixelConstruct maintains its own growing set of shaders that are royalty-free with no attribution required, available exclusively through USL. See PixelConstruct Materials for licence details.

Pushing to Your DCC

With your DCC open and connected:

Find the material you want in the browser
Click it once

USL downloads the texture set (if not already cached), builds the complete shader network for your renderer, and assigns it - ready to use.

What gets built

DCC	Renderer	Shader type
Maya	Arnold	aiStandardSurface
Maya	Redshift	Redshift Standard Material
Maya	Redshift (OpenPBR)	Redshift OpenPBR Material
Blender	Cycles / EEVEE	Principled BSDF
Houdini	Karma	MaterialX network
Houdini	Redshift	Redshift Standard Material
Houdini	Redshift (OpenPBR)	redshift::OpenPBR VOP

All texture maps (diffuse, roughness, metalness, normal, height) are automatically connected to the correct inputs.

Recently Used

USL tracks the last time you sent each material to a DCC. Open the Sort dropdown in the filter bar and select Recently Used to bring your most recently sent materials to the top. Usage is recorded automatically every time you send a material, so there’s nothing to configure.

Resolution Filter

Use the Res: dropdown in the filter bar to show only materials that have a specific resolution available. Pick 1K, 2K, 4K, or 8K. Select All to clear the filter.

Material Notes

You can attach a personal text note to any material. Notes are stored locally and are private to your machine.

To add or edit a note, right-click a material thumbnail and select Add Note… (or Edit Note… if one already exists). Type your note (up to 2000 characters) and click Save. A pencil icon appears on any thumbnail that has a note attached, and the full note is shown in the detail panel when you select the material.

To remove a note, open the editor, clear all text, and save.

Texture Channel Viewer

When you select a downloaded material, navigation arrows appear below the preview image in the detail panel. Click the arrows to cycle through the individual texture maps (diffuse, roughness, metalness, normal, AO, displacement, etc.) without leaving USL. The current channel name is displayed between the arrows.

Single-channel maps like roughness, metalness, AO, and displacement are shown in grayscale. Selecting a different material resets the viewer back to the thumbnail.

Texture Downloads & Cache

Textures are downloaded on demand and stored in a local cache - so clicking the same material a second time is instant. The cache is managed automatically; you don’t need to clear it manually.

USL also generates a USD (.usda) and MaterialX (.mtlx) asset alongside each download, stored in your cache folder if you need them for other pipelines.

Disconnecting

To disconnect your DCC, close the DCC or click Disconnect in USL’s settings. USL will automatically reconnect when the DCC is opened again with the plugin active.

Growing Library

PixelConstruct is continuously adding new materials, surface types, and renderer support to USL. Supporting the project on Patreon directly funds that development - more shaders, more DCCs, faster updates.

Support on Patreon

Next Steps

Plugin Installation → - Install or reinstall the bridge plugin for your DCC
Commercial Use → - Understand licence requirements for studio work