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title: "VRayMaterialPreview"
canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/VRAYNUKE/110625441/VRayMaterialPreview"
format: markdown
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This page provides information on the VRayMaterialPreview utility node.
## **Overview**
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The VRayMaterialPreview is an utility node that allows the user to quickly preview a material that is being edited. To do that, connect the nodes like in the image below:
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UI Path: ||Toolbar|| > **V-Ray menu icon > Utilities > VRayMaterialPreview**
## **Inputs**
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The VRayMaterailPreview node has three inputs:
**Material** – The material that will be previewed by the utility.
**custom_geo** – An optional input to load a custom geometry object for the preview when **Geo** is set to **Custom**.
**custom_hdr** – An optional input to load a custom HDR file when **Lights** is set to **Dome** and **HDR** is set to **Custom**.
## **Parameters**
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**Format** – Controls the resolution at which the preview of the material is rendered.
**Lights** – Specifies how to illuminate the sample geometry that the material will be applied to.
**Dome** – Image based illumination.
**Sphere** – A spherical light source.
**Rect** – Rectangular light source.
**Rect Direct** – A rectangular light source which uses direct light.
**Direct** – An infinitely small point light source which generates direct light.
**HDR** – When **Lights** is set to **Dome** this dropdown menu allows you to pick the environment in which the sample geometry is rendered.
**Light Rotation** – Allows you to rotate the HDR texture when **Lights** is set to **Dome**.
**Light Color **– Set the color of the lights. This option is accessible when a light other than Dome is selected.
**Geo** – Allows you to pick from a list of sample geometry objects to render in the material preview.
**Geo Rotation** – Rotates the geometry.
**Cam Rotation** – Rotates the preview camera.