Decals were added to Octane 2025. They are a powerful addition, but there are a few things to be aware of to get them working correctly.

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Example file: Decal Object Example

How to setup the Decal Object

  1. Create a “Decal Object” in the obj level

Decal object on the left. The object on the right in this case is the “recipient” of the decal.

Decal object on the left. The object on the right in this case is the “recipient” of the decal.

  1. Add “Decal Textures” into the appropriate input of the material/s on the receiving object/s. IMPORTANT NOTE: For now (Octane 2026.1) the decal texture has to be directly wired into the receiving material with NO OTHER NODES BETWEEN THE DECAL TEXTURE AND THE MATERIAL. Which unfortunately means you cannot for example use decals to mix textures on the receiving material etc.

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  2. You can choose which decal/decals affect the current material by choosing the decal texture index, which corresponds to the parameter on the decal object (Note there is a separate texture index for “Normal” texture - The Opacity texture limits the affect of the decal by default, no need to wire up in the receiving material)

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  3. This should be all you need for the decal to show up in your viewport

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  4. Now to setup your custom decal material, you CAN assign textures to the different decal slots by selecting Octane texture nodes in the decal material

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    Now an easier way to set up your decal material is to dive inside the decal node subnet (double-click on the decal node), which comes preconfigured with the necessary inputs and example nodes. All you need to do is plug in the textures into the Output_* nodes. You might need to adjust the input texture number if you want to use more than the default single texture. Decals support up to 10 textures.

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Gotchas

  1. Decals are seen only on materials that contain a connected Decal Texture node, and only when the underlying object is within the spatial boundaries of the Decal Object box.

  2. As mentioned above the Decal Texture MUST BE plugged directly into the material. There can be no other texture nodes between the decal texture and the material.

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  3. If you have multiple overlapping decals you can set the order by using the priority parameter on the Decal Object. However ONLY FOUR overlapping decals will resolve correctly for a given decal boundary.

  4. The decal node specifies what layer is applied to the channel, NOT a specific decal

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  1. Nine decal layers per scene; each layer can have an unlimited amount of actual decals
  2. Box Projection only
  3. UVs are ignored
  4. Polygon meshes only (no SDF or Vectron support)