Understanding the Fabrics & Materials Module in Konfiwear
Fabrics control how your garments look and feel in the 3D customizer.
What Is a Fabric?
A fabric in Konfiwear is a material definition that the 3D customizer applies to the garment model. Each fabric consists of:
A preview thumbnail — the image shown in lists and the customizer's fabric selector
Up to five PBR texture maps — image files that control how light interacts with the surface
Render settings — numeric parameters that fine-tune the material's appearance
Optional category assignments — for organizing fabrics into groups
When a customer selects a fabric in the customizer, the 3D model updates in real time to reflect the material's visual properties — surface roughness, depth detail, transparency, and sheen.
Key Properties
Property | Description |
Name | Display name shown in the dashboard and customizer (e.g., "Arctic Mesh", "Polar Texture") |
Slug | A unique identifier within your account. Alphanumeric, hyphens, and underscores only (e.g., |
Enabled | Controls visibility in the customizer. Disabled fabrics are hidden but retain all configuration. |
Price | Optional per-fabric price (numeric, minimum 0). Default is |
Preview Image | Thumbnail URL (PNG, JPEG, WebP) displayed in lists and the fabric selector |
PBR Texture Maps
PBR (Physically Based Rendering) is the industry-standard approach for realistic 3D material rendering. Konfiwear supports five texture map types, each controlling a different aspect of the material's appearance:
Texture Map | What It Controls | Visual Effect |
Normal | Surface detail and micro-geometry | Simulates bumps, threads, and weave patterns without changing the 3D mesh. This is the most impactful map for fabric realism. |
Ambient Occlusion (AO) | Shadowing in crevices and folds | Adds depth by darkening areas where light naturally struggles to reach — between threads, in seams, and at creases. |
Displacement | Height variation across the surface | Creates the impression of raised and recessed areas in the fabric. More subtle than normal maps but adds depth. |
Gloss | Surface shininess variation | Controls which areas of the fabric are shinier and which are more matte. A satin jersey has different gloss than a cotton t-shirt. |
Alpha | Transparency | Defines which parts of the fabric are see-through. Used for mesh fabrics, perforated materials, or sheer overlays. |
💡 Tip: You don't need all five maps for every fabric. A good starting point is a normal map and an ambient occlusion map — these two alone create convincing fabric realism. Add gloss, displacement, and alpha as needed for specific materials.
Caption: The difference between a flat material (left) and one with normal and AO maps applied (right).
PBR Render Settings
Each fabric has configurable render settings that control how the texture maps are interpreted by the 3D engine:
Setting | Range | Default | What It Does |
Repeat | Any positive number |
| How many times the texture tiles across the garment's UV space. Higher values create a finer, more detailed weave pattern. Lower values create a larger, more visible texture. |
Normal Scale | 0 and above |
| The intensity of the normal map. Higher values exaggerate surface bumps; lower values flatten them. |
Roughness | 0 to 1 |
| Surface roughness. |
AO Map Intensity | 0 to 1 |
| How strong the ambient occlusion shadows appear. |
Metalness | 0 to 1 |
| Whether the surface behaves like metal. For fabrics, this is almost always |
⚠️ Important: Render settings interact with each other and with your texture maps. Small changes to the repeat value or normal scale can have dramatic visual effects. Always preview changes in the 3D viewer on the detail page before publishing.
Navigating the Fabrics Module
The Fabrics List
Navigate to Fabrics under the Customizer section in your account sidebar. The list page shows a data table with:
Search by name or slug
Status filter (Enabled / Disabled)
Column sorting and pagination (10 per page)
Create dialog — add a new fabric with name and slug
Row actions — Edit (open detail page), Copy ID, Delete
Caption: The Fabrics list page with search, filters, and fabric rows.
The Fabric Detail Page
Click any fabric to open a two-column detail view:
Left column:
Info Card — Name, slug, and enabled status with inline editing
Textures Card — Upload slots for all five texture maps (normal, AO, displacement, gloss, alpha)
Categories Card — Shows assigned category count
Right column:
Preview Card — Live 3D cloth model with your fabric's textures applied. Includes a toolbar for resetting the camera and saving a thumbnail screenshot.
Render Settings Card — Editable PBR parameters (repeat, normal scale, roughness, AO intensity, metalness)
Caption: The fabric detail page with texture uploads, 3D preview, and render settings.
The 3D Preview
The fabric detail page includes a live 3D cloth preview model with your texture maps applied. This lets you see exactly how the fabric will render in the customizer before enabling it for customers.
The preview toolbar has two actions:
Reset Camera — returns the 3D view to its default angle
Save Thumbnail — captures a screenshot of the current view and saves it as the fabric's preview image. This is the thumbnail your customers see in the fabric selector.
💡 Tip: Use the "Save Thumbnail" feature after configuring your textures and render settings. It creates a preview image that accurately represents the fabric's appearance, rather than using a generic placeholder.
How Fabrics Connect to Other Modules
Module | Relationship |
Products | Fabrics are available across all products in the customizer (when enabled). The fabric selector panel lets customers switch materials on any product. |
Designs | Fabrics are independent of designs. A customer can apply any fabric to any design — the fabric affects the 3D material while the design controls the surface graphics. |
Colors | Colors are applied over the fabric texture. The fabric determines how those colors render in 3D — a matte cotton fabric makes colors look different than a glossy satin. |
Patterns | Pattern overlays are 2D canvas effects layered above the design. They coexist with fabrics but operate on different rendering layers. |
Quotes | The selected fabric (and its price, if set) is captured in the quote configuration. |
Delete Behavior
Deleting a fabric is a hard delete — the record, render settings, and category assignments are permanently removed. The texture files in cloud storage are not automatically cleaned up.
⚠️ Important: Consider disabling a fabric instead of deleting it. Disabled fabrics are hidden from customers but retain all texture uploads and render settings.
Tips & Best Practices
Start with Normal + AO maps — these two textures provide the most visual impact for the least effort
Match repeat values to your model scale — if the weave pattern looks too large or too fine, adjust the repeat value first
Keep roughness realistic — most athletic fabrics sit between 0.6 and 0.9. Only satin, silk, or synthetic materials should go below 0.5
Use the 3D preview before enabling — small changes to render settings can dramatically alter the appearance
Save a thumbnail from the 3D preview — it gives customers an accurate representation of the material in the fabric selector
Name fabrics by material type — "Arctic Mesh", "Brushed Cotton", "Performance Knit" help customers choose the right material for their use case