Viewport Shading with Surface Views

This is how you can configure viewport shading using Surface Views in Uniform. Surface Views is the system Uniform uses to control how the viewport renders objects, depending on the task. For example, Surface Views allows you to set up high-contrast materials with fixed lighting for sculpting, flat unlit shading for texture painting, or PBR material previews with dynamic lighting.

All Surface Views settings can be configured from the Surface View panel. By default, Uniform uses a special type of Surface View called “Chart.” This allows you to switch between useful shading modes for different tasks simply by dragging a point within a square, eliminating the need to toggle settings through menus.

The same square Chart control shown in the panel can also be accessed quickly by holding the Surface View shortcut and dragging with the pencil. Alternatively, you can use the 1 key on a hardware keyboard.

Dragging the Chart point along the X-axis controls color contribution in the Surface View. If you drag the point all the way to the left, object colors will be disabled, and shape contrast will increase—ideal for sculpting and modeling. As you drag to the right, shape contrast decreases, and colors gradually reappear. Moving past the middle of the edge causes shapes to fade away, making this region useful for texture painting while maintaining desired shape contrast. Dragging all the way to the right disables shapes entirely, displaying a flat, unlit view of the colors.

Dragging the point along the Y-axis controls light energy contribution. For this to work, there must be lights in the scene; otherwise, the view will appear completely dark. The top-right corner of the square provides full light and color contribution, displaying the scene with complete shading. As you drag left, colors fade while lighting remains active. This mode is useful for previewing scene lights to adjust intensities, shadows, and colors accurately.

You can quickly achieve NPR setups by positioning the point at the midpoint of a square edge. This blends unlit colors with PBR materials and dynamic lighting for stylized effects.

The Surface View panel includes general settings that influence the appearance of the Surface View while adjusting it through the Chart. For example, you can modify base brightness when previewing shapes or add rim lights to enhance contrast further.

Uniform also supports creating custom, fixed Surface Views. Open the Surface View panel and select the gallery icon, then choose Static. From here, you can manually adjust all Surface View parameters to suit your needs. Each Surface View material supports up to four lights plus an environment light. Tap the small circle to enable a light, and drag within the large circle to adjust its position. The remaining two parameters control the light’s power and distance.