← Fusion node reference
USD / 3DAdvanced

uReplaceMaterial

USD material override

Overrides the material properties of selected USD prims without rebuilding the entire upstream stage.

uReplaceMaterial
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion

uReplaceMaterial targets selected prims and replaces or overrides their surface material. It exposes PBR-style diffuse, emissive, metallic, roughness, clearcoat and opacity controls, making it useful for look development, technical overrides and shot-specific material variants.

Overview

What uReplaceMaterial does

uReplaceMaterial targets selected prims and replaces or overrides their surface material. It exposes PBR-style diffuse, emissive, metallic, roughness, clearcoat and opacity controls, making it useful for look development, technical overrides and shot-specific material variants.

Mental model

Think of uReplaceMaterial as a scoped material override layer: select the prims, choose the replacement look and leave the rest of the USD stage untouched.

Common uses

Shot-specific material overrides
Replace imported materials
Create matte or holdout variants
Test metallic/roughness looks
Apply material changes to selected prims only

Flow anatomy

Inputs & outputs

The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.

SceneInput

Existing USD or 3D stage that receives this node or provides the scene context.

uReplaceMaterial
Fusion node

SceneOutput

The resulting 3D scene or scene object.

Inspector

Important parameters

Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.

Selected Prims

Targets the prim paths that receive the replacement material.

Invert Prim Selection

Applies the override to everything except the selected prims.

Type

Selects the type used by uReplaceMaterial.

Available choices include Color, Texture, and MaterialX.

Diffuse Color / Red / Green / Blue

Sets the RGB diffuse color of the replacement USD material.

Use channel-specific controls when the operation should not affect all components equally.

Emissive Color / Red / Green / Blue

Sets the RGB emissive color of the replacement USD material.

Use channel-specific controls when the operation should not affect all components equally.

Workflow Mode

Selects the PBR material workflow.

Metallic

Sets how metallic the replacement USD material behaves.

Roughness

Sets the roughness of the replacement material’s reflections.

Clearcoat

Sets the transparency of clearcoat.

Clearcoat Roughness

Sets the roughness of the material’s clearcoat layer.

Opacity

Sets the overall opacity of the material or object.

Opacity Threshold

Sets the threshold at which this part of the effect begins to respond.

Opacity Mode

Selects the Opacity Mode used by uReplaceMaterial.

Available choices include Transparent and Presence.

Is Matte

Marks the material for matte-style treatment when supported.

Export as Separate Stage

Packages the override as an independent USD layer.

Practical setup

A reliable workflow

  1. 1

    Identify the target USD prim paths.

  2. 2

    Add uReplaceMaterial after the asset is loaded or generated.

  3. 3

    Set Selected Prims and verify the scope.

  4. 4

    Establish diffuse/metallic/roughness before adding clearcoat or opacity complexity.

  5. 5

    Render under a useful light rig.

  6. 6

    Export the override separately when it should remain non-destructive and reusable.

Typical node chain
USD Asset
uReplaceMaterial
Lighting
uRenderer

Examples

Where this node fits in real work

Look override

Replace an imported material for a shot-specific grade.

uLoaderuReplaceMaterialuDomeLightuRenderer

Matte variant

Override selected geometry with a matte-oriented material.

uReplaceMaterialuMergeuRenderer

Troubleshooting

Common mistakes

Using overly broad prim selection and replacing unrelated materials.
Changing many PBR controls before establishing a simple base look.
Forgetting that the lighting environment strongly affects metallic/roughness evaluation.

Production notes

Practical tips

Keep selection paths explicit and narrow.
Use separate-stage export for reversible material overrides.
Judge reflective materials with both dome and shaped local lights.

Related nodes