Materialize - Unity 6 Port (Windows & Linux)

Materialize port for Unity 6 - Compatible with Windows and Linux. Full FreeImage support included.

Acknowledgments

This is a port of the original Materialize project created by Bounding Box Software. All core features, UI, and original concepts belong to them.

• Original Repository: BoundingBoxSoftware/Materialize
• Official Website: Bounding Box Software

Features & Fixes in this Port

• Unity 6 Upgraded: Project fully migrated and tested on Unity 6 (6000.3.12f1).
• Cross-Platform: Native support for both Windows and Linux environments. Natively tested on Ubuntu and Arch Linux, while the Windows version was successfully tested via Lutris/Wine.
• FreeImage Support & Linux Stability: Unlike other Linux ports that completely remove FreeImage to bypass compatibility bugs, this version retains the library. We implemented a specific workaround to handle .tif/.tiff metadata issues that previously caused Segmentation Faults on Linux. This prevents the fatal crashes and keeps the core features usable, though with some functional compromises (see Known Issues).

Requirements and Tested Systems

• Unity Engine: Version 6000.3.12f1 or compatible version.
• OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) or Linux (Ubuntu/Arch).
• Linux Dependencies (for AppImage): Requires FUSE 2 (libfuse2 / fuse2). Modern Linux distributions (Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 36+, Arch Linux) may need to install it manually:
  • Ubuntu / Debian: sudo apt install libfuse2
  • Arch / CachyOS: sudo pacman -S fuse2
  • CachyOS (list): paru fuse2
  • Fedora: sudo dnf install fuse-libs

Getting Started

Option 1: Standalone Releases (No Unity required)

If you just want to use the software:

1. Go to the Releases tab on the right side of this repository.
2. Linux: Download the .AppImage file or the standard build. Make the main file (.AppImage or .x86_64) executable (chmod +x), and run it.
3. Windows: Download the .zip release, extract it, and run the .exe.

Option 2: Source Code (For Developers)

1. Clone or download this repository.
2. Open Unity Hub.
3. Click on Add -> Add project from disk and select the downloaded folder.
4. Open the Main scene (if not loaded automatically) and press Play.

Known Issues

• .TIF Previews: Due to internal library limitations in the Unity 6 port, .tif files do not display a visual preview in the UI.
• Memory Management (.tif): When processing .tif files, you may notice a memory leak. This is a deliberate stability workaround implemented to prevent the application from crashing during heavy texture processing.
  • Note: If you are working with a large number of .tif files, it is recommended to restart the application periodically to clear the memory.
• FUSE Requirement (Linux): If the AppImage does not start, you are likely missing fuse2. Open a terminal in the AppImage directory and run ./Materialize-1.0-x86_64.AppImage to check for errors. Refer to the Requirements and Tested Systems section for fuse2 installation instructions.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0), strictly inheriting the original project's license constraints. See the LICENSE file for more details.