The strong-but-stiff aluminum — close to mild-steel strength at a third the weight. Used in aircraft skins, racing bicycle parts, drone frames, and any place 6061 isn't strong enough. Harder to weld than 6061; vulnerable to stress-corrosion cracking in some tempers.
Heat-treatable wrought alloy with 5.6% Zn, 2.5% Mg, 1.6% Cu. Highest strength of standard aluminum alloys. T6 temper yields ~503 MPa — comparable to mild steel — at 2.81 g/cm³ density. Welding is feasible but reduces strength dramatically in the heat-affected zone; aerospace assemblies prefer rivets or adhesive bonding for primary load paths.
Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere metallic finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material. Or grab the whole library at once: ForMaterials library →
# finish: metallic albedo #b8bcc4 metallic 1.00 roughness 0.25 ior 1.45 transmission 0.00 clearcoat 0.00 sheen 0.00 anisotropic 0.00
{
"albedo": "#b8bcc4",
"metallic": 1.0,
"roughness": 0.25,
"ior": 1.45,
"transmission": 0.0,
"clearcoat": 0.0,
"sheen": 0.0,
"anisotropic": 0.0
}
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Aluminum 7075 · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_aluminum_7075")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value = (0.4793, 0.5029, 0.552, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value = 1.000
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 = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value = 0.000
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Aluminum 7075 · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_aluminum_7075", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse", (184, 188, 196)) # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic", 1.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness", 0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
{
"_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
"_about": "Aluminum 7075 \u00b7 finish: metallic",
"baseColor": {
"r": 0.4793,
"g": 0.5029,
"b": 0.552
},
"metallic": 1.0,
"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_aluminum_7075",
"pbrMetallicRoughness": {
"baseColorFactor": [
0.4793,
0.5029,
0.552,
1.0
],
"metallicFactor": 1.0,
"roughnessFactor": 0.25
},
"extensions": {
"KHR_materials_ior": {
"ior": 1.45
}
}
}
]
}# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Aluminum 7075 · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_aluminum_7075" {
token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_aluminum_7075/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>
def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.4793, 0.5029, 0.552)
float inputs:metallic = 1.000
float inputs:roughness = 0.250
float inputs:ior = 1.450
float inputs:opacity = 1.000
float inputs:clearcoat = 0.000
token outputs:surface
}
}
The "aircraft aluminum" — strongest of the standard 7xxx aerospace alloys. Behaves more like a soft steel than like 6061. Workable on MR-1 with patient feeds; ShopBot will struggle on anything but light cuts.
Machinery's Handbook 30th ed., 'Aluminum Alloys Machining' (7075-T6); Sandvik aluminum guide for 7xxx series.
→ try this material in swarfASM Handbook Vol. 2; FAA AC 43.13-1B; Alcoa 7075 datasheet.
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.
Local to this browser. No telemetry.