What Is Physically Based Rendering (PBR)?

Physically based rendering (PBR) models light and materials using physical principles, including energy conservation and angle-dependent reflection. Parameters such as base color, roughness, and metalness describe the surface. Its appearance also depends on lighting, geometry, the renderer, and color management. PBR helps with material matching, but product references and creative decisions remain essential. An example of our work with materials and light: kitchen visualization for LEICHT IDEA.

The Most Important PBR Maps

Albedo / Base Color: Describes the base color without baked-in lighting. In the Metalness workflow, Base Color refers to the color of the reflection for metals.
Normal map: changes surface normals for lighting calculations. It adds no geometry and does not change the silhouette.
Roughness Map: controls the microscopic roughness and thus the width and sharpness of reflections.
Metalness / Metallic: Distinguishes between metallic and non-metallic surfaces. For a uniform material, a constant value may suffice instead of a texture.
Ambient occlusion (AO): approximates occlusion caused by neighboring geometry. AO is optional and does not replace a complete lighting calculation.

The Adobe Substance 3D PBR Guide explains the basics and the two common PBR workflows.

Examples of PBR Maps

Five texture maps of a fabric arranged side by side: Base Color, AO, Height, Normal, and Roughness — Five maps for a fabric material, from left to right: Base Color, Ambient Occlusion, Height, Normal, and Roughness. They describe different properties. Whether a texture can be repeated seamlessly must be checked separately.

Which PBR map do I need for rendering?

There is no required set of four or five texture files. Which maps are needed depends on the material, level of detail, and rendering system. Uniform properties can often be specified as values in the shader.

Material Type	Key Parameters	Depending on the detail needed	Keep this in mind
Brushed Metal	Base color, metalness, roughness	Anisotropy; normal mapping or geometry for visible detail	Check the brushing direction and reflections under appropriate lighting
Leather / Fabric	Base Color, Roughness; usually nonmetallic	Normal, Displacement; Sheen, depending on the material	Check weave scale, folds, and sheen against the reference
Glass	Transmission, IOR, Roughness	Absorption, material thickness, and, if applicable, volume	Alpha transparency does not replace light refraction
Varnished wood	Base Color, Roughness; non-metallic	Normal mapping and a separate coat layer in the shader	Adjust the wood grain and the gloss of the finish separately

More information on textures and material creation: Material & Surface Digitization as well as Surface Visualization.

3D rendering of a bright living room with a brown leather sofa and a view of the surrounding nature through large windows

From Technical Term to Visual Experience

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Real-World Examples & Media

Wood, fabric, and glass have different material requirements. The following images show what to look for when matching materials. A finished rendering alone does not reveal which maps or shaders were used.

Close-up of a dark wooden backrest with visible grain and light-colored wickerwork in the background — *Wood and wicker: The grain direction, pores, and reflections must all align. Fine surface details and visible openings place different demands on texture and geometry.*

Close-up of a beige fabric sofa showing the fabric texture, stitching, and seat cushions — *Fabric in detail: The texture scale, seams, folds, and sheen determine the overall effect. A normal map alone does not fully describe the shape of the upholstery.*

Glass front of an interlübke cabinet with reflections, a dark handle, and visible drawers — *Glass front and frame: assess visibility through the glass, reflections, and material thickness together. See the interlübke project.*

Workflow at Danthree

Material references: Depending on the surface, we work with material samples, photographs, scans, or procedurally generated textures.
Map Creation: We create the textures required for the material and its intended use.
Look Development and Shaders: We fine-tune the material parameters in the render engine.
Test renders: We check scale, color, and reflections against the references under the intended lighting conditions.
Coordination and Reuse: Which image data or materials are provided and later reused depends on the agreed-upon scope of the project.

More about the process: 3D visualization studio and 3D modeling.

Benefits for Brands & Marketing

A material setup you can review: Separate parameters make it easier to adjust color, roughness, and surface detail.
A reusable foundation: Material data can support additional images when the renderer, scale, and intended use are compatible.
A result you can check: References and test renders help identify and correct material discrepancies.
Multiple output channels: Whether for the web, print, or real-time applications, we evaluate the specific requirements for textures, shaders, and color management.

Metalness/Roughness and Specular/Glossiness

The terms alone do not indicate whether a shader operates based on physical principles. Both workflows can implement PBR. The key factors are the material model, appropriate values, and the implementation in the renderer.

Aspect	Metalness/Roughness	Specular/Glossiness
Basic Principle	PBR Workflow with a Metallic Mask and Roughness	Can also be used as a PBR workflow; reflection color and smoothness are described separately
Material Color	Base Color: diffuse color for nonmetals, reflective color for metals	"Diffuse" describes the diffuse color; "Specular" describes the reflection
Roughness	Roughness describes microscopic roughness	Glossiness describes smoothness; the conversion depends on the shader
Transfer between systems	The basis of the glTF 2.0 material model; extensions depend on the material	Check for support in the target system; conversion is not always lossless

More Fundamentals of Lighting & Rendering: Ray Tracing

FAQ - What is Physically Based Rendering (PBR)?

What is the difference between PBR and traditional shading?

PBR bases lighting and material calculations on physical principles. Specular/glossiness is not inherently an alternative to PBR: this workflow can also implement PBR. Map names alone establish neither accuracy nor realism. The Adobe PBR Guide explains both workflows.

What are the minimum maps I need for PBR?

There is no universally required number of textures. A metalness/roughness workflow describes base color, metallic, and roughness; constant values may be enough for uniform properties. Normal, AO, and other maps are added as needed. The glTF 2.0 specification distinguishes between material factors and optional textures.

Can I convert existing materials to PBR?

Existing materials can often be reused or adapted. However, a diffuse map with baked-in light is not automatically a suitable base color map. Similarly, specular/glossiness cannot be transferred losslessly for every material simply by renaming or inverting it. Check the result in the target renderer against the product reference.

Where can I get PBR textures?

Possible sources include material digitization, photographic references, procedural generation, and texture libraries. Check usage rights, scale, resolution, and how the maps work together. For product-specific surfaces, we can discuss material digitization using your references.

Why doesn't the same PBR material look the same everywhere?

Lighting, exposure, color management, shaders, and geometry all affect the final result. Support for material properties may also vary between applications. PBR provides a common foundation, but does not guarantee identical images. Test the material on the actual target system where it will be used.

Is transparency sufficient for a PBR glass material?

No. Alpha transparency and light transmission with refraction are different properties. For glass, transmission, refractive index, roughness, material thickness, and absorption may be relevant. Which of these are available depends on the shader and renderer. The Khronos overview of PBR in glTF lists the corresponding material extensions.