---
title: "Using References to share colors and materials | Uniform | Sparseal"
url: "https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/references/"
language: "en"
description: "References in Uniform enable centralized management of color palettes and materials across a Workspace. By modifying reference values, all objects update automatically. References support all object types, including sculpts, textures, curves, and volumes. To use, access the References Inspector to edit or apply references. Applying a reference to an object creates a Reference Fill Color layer (for paintable objects) or a Surface Overlay module (for procedural objects). Adjustments such as hue, saturation, and opacity can be made on top of the original referenced color."
---

# Using References to share colors and materials

Intermediate

painting workspace

[YouTube video player](https://www.youtube.com/embed/WIEqkTvdyDk?si=eKjV-Uh8kI8ORS_B)

References in Uniform enable centralized management of color palettes and materials across a Workspace. By modifying reference values, all objects update automatically. References support all object types, including sculpts, textures, curves, and volumes. To use, access the References Inspector to edit or apply references. Applying a reference to an object creates a Reference Fill Color layer (for paintable objects) or a Surface Overlay module (for procedural objects). Adjustments such as hue, saturation, and opacity can be made on top of the original referenced color.

This is how you can use References to share and update color palettes and materials in Uniform. References are a collection of color and material values stored in the Workspace that can be applied to objects. By updating these values from a single location, all associated objects will automatically reflect the changes. This feature allows you to quickly modify the color palette of an artwork and create multiple variations. Additionally, References are compatible with all object types, including high-poly sculpts, textures, curves, and volumes.

To begin, open the References Inspector. Here, you can view the 32 color and material references available in the Workspace. From this menu, you can edit their names and adjust their values.

To quickly apply a reference color to an object, first select the object, then use the “Apply to Selected” option.

If the object has a layer stack for painting, this action will create a Reference Fill Color layer. You can then adjust the opacity of this layer or paint its mask. Alternatively, you can create reference layers from the “Add Layer” menu and assign the reference manually. This method works for both colors and full PBR setups.

It’s important to note that the Reference Fill Color layer includes a set of properties to modify the hue, saturation, and value of the original color stored in the reference. By utilizing this feature, you can generate entire color palettes controlled from a single reference slot.

When a reference is applied to a procedural object, a new Surface Overlay module will be created in its evaluator setup. You can manually change the reference here or remove it by deleting the “Reference Fill Color Module.”

## More Tutorials

[

![Dynamic brush effects with Brush Overlay modules](https://sparseal.com/uniform/assets/tutorials/brush-overlays.webp)

### Dynamic brush effects with Brush Overlay modules

Advanced

sculpting painting



](https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/brush-overlays/)[

![Unlock more features with Global Overrides](https://sparseal.com/uniform/assets/tutorials/overrides.webp)

### Unlock more features with Global Overrides

Intermediate

workspace



](https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/overrides/)[

![Prepare Uniform scenes for 3D Printing](https://sparseal.com/uniform/assets/tutorials/printing.webp)

### Prepare Uniform scenes for 3D Printing

Intermediate

sculpting workspace



](https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/printing/)[

![Projection Painting using Stencils](https://sparseal.com/uniform/assets/tutorials/projection-painting.webp)

### Projection Painting using Stencils

Intermediate

painting



](https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/projection-painting/)[

![Asset Composition using Scene Instances](https://sparseal.com/uniform/assets/tutorials/scene-instances.webp)

### Asset Composition using Scene Instances

Advanced

workspace



](https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/scene-instances/)[

![Viewport Shading with Surface Views](https://sparseal.com/uniform/assets/tutorials/surface-views.webp)

### Viewport Shading with Surface Views

Beginner

workspace painting sculpting rendering



](https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/surface-views/)[

![Low Poly Pixel Art Workflow](https://sparseal.com/uniform/assets/tutorials/workflow-pixel-art.webp)

### Low Poly Pixel Art Workflow

Intermediate

pixel-art painting uv mapping modelling rendering



](https://sparseal.com/uniform/tutorials/workflow-pixel-art/)

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