# Using displayColor as a fallback for Preview Surface

**URL:** <https://forum.aousd.org/t/using-displaycolor-as-a-fallback-for-preview-surface/2778>\
**Category:** USD\
**Created:** [November 24, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/using-displaycolor-as-a-fallback-for-preview-surface/2778 "2025-11-24T22:48:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dziegler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@dziegler](https://forum.aousd.org/u/dziegler)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/using-displaycolor-as-a-fallback-for-preview-surface/2778/1 "2025-11-24T22:48:32Z")

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I would like to use displayColor as a fallback when the texture file is missing in UsdUvTexture. However, I was unable to connect the fallback parameter to a primVarReader node and get the expected result. Is there another way I can do it?

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**Author:** ![spiff](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.aousd.org/spiff/32/22_2.png) [@spiff](https://forum.aousd.org/u/spiff)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 1:51am UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/using-displaycolor-as-a-fallback-for-preview-surface/2778/2 "2026-04-13T01:51:25Z")

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Hi @dziegler , I have not tried to dig into the glsl implementation, but from the specification we publish, what you are trying to do **should** work. I am not a shading expert, however, and might suggest:

1. Following up on this in the Hydra category here (possibly you have already)
2. Make your Material in MaterialX, using the MaterialX implementation of PreviewSurface. If this is just a bug/limitation in the OpenUSD glsl implementation, it is possible the MaterialX implementations do not share it.