Every scenic artist and designer deals with the relationship of form and function - turning ideas and concepts into something solid, whether the medium is plaster, wood, steel or paper. Central to such work is the compilation of photographs of different materials that can be used for future reference. This book is a comprehensive collection of photographs with chapters on each material. It covers hundreds of varieties of wood, stone, marble, brick, plaster, glass, metal and tile look in exterior and interior settings. The pictures are of two varieties, either for the purpose of identifying a surface, or depicting materials in different settings, showing how they can be used architecturally, what their visual effect is, and how they weather. Tailored to research needs in scope and focus, the images offer models and scanning materials for everyone working in this field, and advice is offered in the form of interviews with professionals in the fields of design and architecture, who describe how they gather and use visual research in their work.