Material Editor Question

[Dean Caminiti]

I have been trying to figure out why only a few materials (in fact only my user material file) show up when I bring in an old or new AR3 project into NXT( I'm using the evaluation version)?  I did the conversion of my old AR3 material libraries but it didn't add anymore to the material editor list.  I also tried adding each material folder that was created when I converted my AR legacy material library in the options search paths.

I hope I don't have to re-attach each material, especially when I have so many vehicles in my image and each one of them may have 10-20 textures.

 

Thanks for the help

Dean

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

The list that you see in nXt doesn't really have anything to do with the available materials stored externally in libraries.  Unlike previous versions, nXt's materials get embedded in the drawing (older versions were just linked in using references to external files.)  Legacy drawings go through a conversion process when you first open them during which nXt searches for the old linked materials and embeds whatever it can find.  None of this has anything to do with converting material libs-- that process just makes it easier to use legacy materials with new drawings.

 

So-- there are a bunch of things that could be going on in your case.  For example, open a legacy drawing which you know has a bunch of ar3 stuff attached.  When you load nXt you should see the message "Converting Legacy Materials" or something like that.  If you don't, it's probably already been saved since the nXt era.  In this case you can force the convertor again by selecting Widgets->Update Legacy Drawing.  Once the convertor runs, if you still don't get as many materials as you think you should, there probably is a pathing problem.  nXt must know how to find your legacy .mlibs (and textures)-- use the search path for this (you do not need to enter sub-directories-- these are searched automatically.)  Let me know if this helps.

 

There could be lots of other things going on-- for example if you've got xrefs in the drawing-- it's possible that you may need to run the convertor on the original xref drawings in order for this to work.

[Dean Caminiti]

  Roy,

Did you mean using the path search (attached jpeg) in the option menu box?  I have used that to add many converted material folders but it doesn't seem to connect with the materials.  I guess what is confusing me was that NXT found only the one file, my user materials file and nothing else.  Is there another path search other than this?

Yes, all of my vehicles in my drawings are xref files.  When you refer to converting the xref drawing do you mean opening in autocad then opening nxt then using the command in the widgets icon to convert legacy drawing and saving it again so when I bring it in to my other drawing it will have its textures attached?

 

Dean

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

No-- it's the only search path.  Make sure the mispelling ("wolf buiders") isn't the problem-- although I doubt it since the path selector forces you to pick an existing path.

Try opening a "vehicle" file by itself, running the Update Legacy Drawing option if it doesn't run automatically, and rendering.  Do you get materials?  If so, then the problem probably has to do with the xref process.  If not, something else is up.

 

[Dean Caminiti]

Roy

 

I tried opening the vehicles individualy like you suggested and they did load with some materials.  Although,  all of the materials that were asscosiated with Accustudio library did not load, even after running the Update Legacy Drawing option. 

 

You're right about the xref problem.  I did a test by taking the bus model from accustudio and I applied some new materials using NXT, saved it, then I inserted it into my current model and it came in with no materials.    Then I took the bus and copied it from the open drawing and pasted into my model, same effect no materials.  Again I tried running the Update Legacy Drawing option.  All of a sudden a bunch of new materials appeared.  However, again they were still missing the Accustudio materials but the bus was still devoid of materials.  

 

Do you think I should try reconverting the Accustudio materials?  I still have to check to see if some my other material libraries may have connected as well.

 

I did one last test to see if the Accustudio materials were in some way refusing to load on any object that is inserted into another layout.  As it turns out the bus with it's new NXT materials were attached to the accustudio library.  I replaced a few of the materials with my accurender materials and inserted it into my current layout.  Unfortunately it didn't work, the bus still came in blank.

 

Dean 

[Chas / Aug Posekany]

One thing you might try is to use the remove materials button in the materials pane. Select the entire bus. Then try to render again. Occationally a solid gets tagged as by object and ignores by layer assignments.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

Again, it has nothing to do with converting the Accustudio materials.  It reads the original .mlib files when it attempts to update data in a legacy drawing-- not the converted ones.  Make sure the path to the original accustudio .mlib file is correct.  If you're using bitmap textures make sure these are on the path as well.

 

The first step is to get the vehicles to render correctly before they're inserted.  If you're trying to get ByLayer assignments to work correctly, Chas's suggestion is valid.  Try the Remove Materials from Object button and see if that makes a difference.  Let me know if you're not actually using By Layer material assignments, but some other method.

 

After you get the first part working, try xrefing the thing into a blank drawing.  It should work fine.  Don't do this step until you're happy with the first step.