Getting Started
Install the AI Material Generator addon, configure a provider, and generate your first material in minutes.
This guide walks you through installing the AI Material Generator addon, configuring an LLM provider, and generating your first shader node tree from a text description.
Prerequisites
- Blender 4.2 or later (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
- An LLM provider -- either a local Ollama instance or an API key for OpenAI/Anthropic
Step 1: Install the Addon
- Download the
ai_material_generator.zipfile from your purchase. - Open Blender and go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons.
- Click Install from Disk and select the downloaded zip file.
- Enable the addon by checking the checkbox next to AI Material Generator.
The addon requires no external Python dependencies. Everything is self-contained in the zip.
Step 2: Configure a Provider
Open the addon preferences at Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > AI Material Generator and choose your LLM provider.
Ollama (Recommended for Free Local Use)
Ollama runs models entirely on your machine. No API key needed, no data leaves your computer.
- Install Ollama from ollama.com.
- Pull a model:
ollama pull llama3
- In the addon preferences, set Provider to
Ollama. - Verify the Ollama URL is
http://localhost:11434(the default).
OpenAI
- Get an API key from platform.openai.com.
- In the addon preferences, set Provider to
OpenAI. - Paste your API key in the OpenAI API Key field.
Anthropic
- Get an API key from console.anthropic.com.
- In the addon preferences, set Provider to
Anthropic. - Paste your API key in the Anthropic API Key field.
For a full comparison of providers, see the Providers page.
Step 3: Generate Your First Material
- Open the N-Panel in the 3D Viewport (press
Nif it is not visible). - Click the AI Material Gen tab.
- In the description field, type:
brushed steel with fingerprints
- Set the Complexity level to
Medium(a good starting point). - Click Generate.
The addon sends your description to the configured LLM, validates the response, and builds the shader node tree. Progress is displayed in the panel. Generation typically takes 5-15 seconds depending on your provider and model.
Step 4: Apply to Object
After generation, the material is available in two ways:
- Auto-assign: If you had an object selected before clicking Generate, the material is automatically assigned to its active material slot.
- Manual assignment: Select any object, go to the Material Properties panel, click the material dropdown, and choose the newly generated material.
The generated material appears in bpy.data.materials with a name based on your description (for example, AI_brushed_steel_with_fingerprints).
What to Read Next
- Providers -- Detailed provider setup and comparison
- Presets -- Use built-in presets without needing an LLM connection
- Tweak Mode -- Refine generated materials with follow-up prompts
- API Reference -- Operators and properties for scripting