The reaction between light and the surface of an object is what our eyes capture, and the information processed enables us to see and recognize materials. We can effortlessly distinguish whether something is made of wood, metal, stone, or glass. Without light, this isn't possible; nevertheless, the material, which the object is made of, has a key role as well. The material defines how light should act in response to the rays of light that hit the surface. This tiny introduction helps us to understand that when we define materials, we are actually defining how light should react with that specific surface.

Lumion is remarkable in this area too because it offers us more than 500 materials that are ready to be applied in the 3D models we import. We don't need to lose any time tweaking and defining the settings to create beautiful materials. This chapter is aimed not to create materials, but at how we can use some features to take the best from what Lumion offers.