# Create and assign a material

> Create a material asset, and assign it to a GameObject.

1. To create a new material asset in your project, from the main menu or the Project View context menu, select **Assets** > **Create** > **Material**.
2. To assign a shader to the material asset, in the Inspector window use the Shader drop-down menu.

## Assign a material asset to a GameObject

To render a GameObject using a material:

1. Add a component that inherits from `Renderer`. [MeshRenderer](/engine/6000.7/manual/assets-and-media/asset-types/mesh/components-reference/class-mesh-renderer.md) is the most common and is suitable for most use cases, but [SkinnedMeshRenderer](/engine/6000.7/manual/assets-and-media/asset-types/mesh/components-reference/class-skinned-mesh-renderer.md), [LineRenderer](/engine/6000.7/manual/visual-effects/lines-trails-billboards/rendering-lines/class-line-renderer.md), or [TrailRenderer](/engine/6000.7/manual/visual-effects/lines-trails-billboards/rendering-trails/class-trail-renderer.md) might be more suitable if your GameObject has special requirements.
2. Assign the material asset to the component's **Material** property.

To render a particle system in the [Built-in Particle System](/engine/6000.7/manual/visual-effects/particle-systems/part-sys-usage.md) using a material:

1. Add a [Renderer Module](/engine/6000.7/manual/visual-effects/particle-systems/particle-system-modules/part-sys-renderer-module.md) to the Particle System.
2. Assign the material asset to the Renderer Module's **Material** property.