Can materials be updated globally?

[Nick Baker]

I do a lot of retail interiors and for a particular client I may have a large library of fixtures, all ready to go with materials / texture maps etc. When I start the library, I tweak the materials until the client is happy and save to a file. I use the same materials for all the other fixtures and everything works fine until the client decides to change from a white glossy finish to a dark blue finish - then I have to go through maybe 100 models to update. If I have saved my materials to a file, is it possible to update the material using the nXt editor and somehow have my library default to my saved material library? It would be a bit like having external references in an AutoCAD drawing. Any advice which would save me from having to keep updating my library of fixtures would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chas / Aug Posekany]

Because Nxt saves the material to drawing file this may be very difficult to accomplish.

When accurender used the material libraries in AR3 and AR4 it could be done fairly easy.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

Nope-- no externally referenced (linked) materials.  It's been suggested and I may get around to it at sometime in the future.  There is a "Reload..." option inside of AutoCAD that let's you update a material definition with one from a file which might work OK for you-- select a material then right-click.

There are some more exotic solutions to this which I would not recommend (hint: textures can be linked.)

[Nick Baker]

Thanks for the replies - I'll have a look at the reload option but looks like I may have to bite the bullet and start updating my library - I might even get it finished before they change to something else!

[Ros. Riha]

reload works. It is better to name your materials "kitchen top" or "handlebars" rather than "white granite" or "brushed metal" - once names of your materials describe WHERE are these materials used rather than WHAT they look like, it is fairly easy to reload them to change the overall finish.

[Nick Baker]

Thanks - I'll give that a try.

[Eric B]

 

Yes, material handling has changed - I am not going to say if it is better or worse, just different than in previous AR versions.

I went and checked and if you copy a material into a model then copy that same material again you get a duplicate material in the material tab - except that it has a (1) or (2) or whatever number of times you have copied the same named material.

It is too bad it does that automatically.

If it could be set to do one of the following depending on the User it would be better:

1) Create a duplicate material (default)

2) Overwrite the same named material

3) Prompt the User for a different name (launching the material editor)

[Eric B]

Just curious about this topic - has anyone else run into this being a problem or just something to work around?