The model is black

Find why a model shows black or dark in Playground and correct the environment or the materials.

Symptom

• The model shows black or very dark after it loads in Playground.
• The metal parts are black and show no reflections.

Cause

Metals show black when the scene has no environment map. The environment map gives the light and the reflections. Without a map, the metal has no light to reflect.

A second cause is the model file. The materials did not export correctly from your 3D software.

Fix

Step 1 of 6

1. In the right panel, open the Scene tab.
2. Open the Background / Environment section. Make sure that an environment map is loaded.
3. If no map is loaded, open the Environments tab in the left panel. Select a preset.
4. If the add button for environments shows a lock, check your plan. This function can depend on the plan.
5. Make sure that the materials exported correctly from your 3D software.
6. If the model has diamonds, give each diamond layer a unique name. Playground uses layer and material names to assign diamond materials.

If the problem continues

Contact support. Include the model file or the link to the project.

Related pages

• HDR lighting
• Background / Environment
• FAQ: Import models
• Plans and limits