How to create a material picker option in unity?

Question

I have created a floor where by gazing on it the material changes for every 2 seconds. Now I wanted to create a material picker on the scene. Where the user can choose from the given 3 options of the materials and by clicking on it the selected material should apply to the floor. How to do it?

The source code for gazing floor to change material:-

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;

using UnityEngine;

//Make sure to change the class name (CCSphere) to whatever you called your 
//script.

public class tochangematerial : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float gazeTime = 2f;

    private float timer;

    private bool gazedAt;

    public Material[] materials;//Allows input of material colors in a set size of array;
    public Renderer Rend; //What are we rendering? Input object(Sphere,Cylinder,...) to render.

    private int index = 1;//Initialize at 1, otherwise you have to press the ball twice to change colors at first.

    // Use this for initialization
    void Start()
    {
        Rend = GetComponent<Renderer>();//Gives functionality for the renderer
        Rend.enabled = true;//Makes the rendered 3d object visable if enabled;
    }
    void Update()
    {
        if (gazedAt)
        {
            timer += Time.deltaTime;

            if (timer >= gazeTime)
            {
                if (materials.Length == 0)//If there are no materials nothing happens.
                    return;

                index += 1;//When mouse is pressed down we increment up to the next index location

                if (index == materials.Length + 1)//When it reaches the end of the materials it starts over.
                    index = 1;

                print(index);//used for debugging

                Rend.sharedMaterial = materials[index - 1]; //This sets the material color values inside the index

                timer = 0f;
            }
        }
    }
    public void pointerenter()
    {
        //Debug.Log("pointer enter");
        gazedAt = true;
    }
    public void pointerexit()
    {
        //Debug.Log("pointer exit");
        gazedAt = false;
    }
}

Edited code:-

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;

// Change renderer's material each changeInterval
// seconds from the material array defined in the inspector.
public class color2 : MonoBehaviour
{
    public Material[] materials;
    public float changeInterval = 0.33F;
    public Renderer rend;

    void Start()
    {
        rend = GetComponent<Renderer>();
        rend.enabled = true;
    }

    public void Update()
    {
        if (materials.Length == 0)
            return;

        // we want this material index now
        int index = Mathf.FloorToInt(Time.time / changeInterval);

        // take a modulo with materials count so that animation repeats
        index = index % materials.Length;

        // assign it to the renderer
        rend.sharedMaterial = materials[index];
    }
}

I used this code to change the color of a cube if i pressed a button. But it's not working. I have added this code to cube and in button I have attached this script and function. If I pressed the button the color of cube does not change.

I have added this script to cube and then in button I have dragged and dropped the gameobject(cube) and triggered the function void update()

Edited again:- Now I can change the materials of the 3d model for eg:if it is a chair I am able to change the materials of chair by clicking on a button. How can I change the different models? eg:in chair there are different models if a user clicked on a button it should produce different models how to do it?

Answer 1

The simpliest way would be to create a function that takes an int index and in that function change Rend's material to materials[index], then create an UI canvas with three buttons, each of the buttons would trigger that function but pass different int.