Aggregate stones — marble chips, glass shards, mother-of-pearl, recycled tile, sometimes brass strips — set into a poured matrix of cement or epoxy and ground flat to a polished surface. The result is a section through a thousand small stones, each held in place. Originated in Venice in the 15th century from Venetian mosaic workers using their offcuts. The mid-century airport, the New York City subway platform, the Carlo Scarpa floor at Castelvecchio. Now in a strong second life as the trending interior surface of the 2020s — countertops, planters, light fixtures, small goods. The pattern is in the chip selection; the surface is in the polish.
Composite material with a matrix (Portland cement-based for traditional poured-in-place, or epoxy resin for thinner sections / faster cure / stronger color stability) and an aggregate of marble, granite, recycled glass, mother-of-pearl, or recycled-content chips at 60–75 percent volume fraction. Aggregate sizes graded 2–25 mm, with selected color and chip-size mix giving the visible character. Poured at 12–25 mm thickness over a substrate (cementitious) or 6–10 mm (epoxy). Cured, then ground through diamond pads (50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 3000 grit) until aggregate is exposed in cross-section and the surface holds a polish. Grout-filling (filling micro-pinholes between aggregate and matrix) typically between 200 and 800 grit passes. Density 2200–2400 kg/m³ for cementitious, 1800–2000 for epoxy. Compressive strength 25–50 MPa (cementitious) or 70–100 MPa (epoxy). Crack control via divider strips (brass, zinc, plastic) on cementitious; epoxy cures monolithic at smaller pours.
Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere glossy finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material. Or grab the whole library at once: ForMaterials library →
# finish: glossy albedo #dad6ce metallic 0.00 roughness 0.25 ior 1.45 transmission 0.00 clearcoat 0.40 sheen 0.00 anisotropic 0.00
{
"albedo": "#dad6ce",
"metallic": 0.0,
"roughness": 0.25,
"ior": 1.45,
"transmission": 0.0,
"clearcoat": 0.4,
"sheen": 0.0,
"anisotropic": 0.0
}
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Terrazzo (Cement-Bound Aggregate Composite) · finish: glossy
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_terrazzo")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value = (0.7011, 0.6724, 0.6172, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value = 0.400
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value = 0.000
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Terrazzo (Cement-Bound Aggregate Composite) · finish: glossy
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_terrazzo", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse", (218, 214, 206)) # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness", 0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.400)
{
"_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
"_about": "Terrazzo (Cement-Bound Aggregate Composite) \u00b7 finish: glossy",
"baseColor": {
"r": 0.7011,
"g": 0.6724,
"b": 0.6172
},
"metallic": 0.0,
"roughness": 0.25,
"ior": 1.45,
"opacity": 1.0,
"anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
"_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}{
"asset": {
"version": "2.0",
"generator": "ForMatter"
},
"materials": [
{
"name": "mat_terrazzo",
"pbrMetallicRoughness": {
"baseColorFactor": [
0.7011,
0.6724,
0.6172,
1.0
],
"metallicFactor": 0.0,
"roughnessFactor": 0.25
},
"extensions": {
"KHR_materials_ior": {
"ior": 1.45
},
"KHR_materials_clearcoat": {
"clearcoatFactor": 0.4
}
}
}
]
}# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Terrazzo (Cement-Bound Aggregate Composite) · finish: glossy
def Material "mat_terrazzo" {
token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_terrazzo/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>
def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.7011, 0.6724, 0.6172)
float inputs:metallic = 0.000
float inputs:roughness = 0.250
float inputs:ior = 1.450
float inputs:opacity = 1.000
float inputs:clearcoat = 0.400
token outputs:surface
}
}
National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association installation-and-care literature.
House vocabulary — terms ForMatter uses with intent.
Materials and processes for people who design and make things.
A local-first library of materials, processes, applications, and finishes — equal weight, citable everywhere, so a student can move from "what is this" toward "what's actually buildable here, now, by me." Part of the renato.design ecosystem — sibling of Plenum, Specimen, Ingenue, gesture, graf, and the Renato Rhino plug-ins. Form and matter, inseparable.
Half of teaching materials is teaching how the material is made into the thing. The standard subscription library was always light on that half. The wedge here isn't better samples or a prettier interface — it's treating Process as a peer entity, not a footnote.
Conway, Lefteri, Forty, Sparke, ASM, GIA. Every voice: Voices.
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