​​​​​​​Is it bad practice to keep using a material instance instead of the original?

[jojolegoid1124]

Hi, new creator here,

I have learned about the awesome power of material instances. My question is, once I have figured out the parameters I want for the texture, is it recommended to update the master material to reflect those changes and switch back to using the master material, or is it no big deal to just keep using the instance and just leave the master? If “Yes, update the master,” is there an easy way to save the instance parameters to the master without having to go and change them all manually?

Thanks!

[ClockworkOcean]

@jojolegoid1124

Hi, new creator here,

I have learned about the awesome power of material instances. My question is, once I have figured out the parameters I want for the texture, is it recommended to update the master material to reflect those changes and switch back to using the master material, or is it no big deal to just keep using the instance and just leave the master? If “Yes, update the master,” is there an easy way to save the instance parameters to the master without having to go and change them all manually?

Thanks!

No

The whole point of instances is they are adjustable both in the editor and at runtime, whereas the base material isn’t.

[HorusWM]

You can use per instance custom data for master material without instantiating that material, thus reducing the number of draw calls.

Storing Custom Data in a Material Per Primitive