Temporary uniform material with 'Edit Selection Set' tool.

[Anonymous]

I would like to see an extension of the existing 'Edit Selection Set' tool enabling you to apply a temporary overriding uniform material to multiple differing objects, including library parts and complex profiled geometry.

This could be useful for rendering purposes, or creating a quick single-colour massing study, or simplifying material choice and co-ordination.

Complex profiled geometry would hugely benefit from having a simple material override in the wall/beam/column settings, mainly to reduce the need for different coloured duplicates. (See Matthew Lohdens wish here)

For this to work it would require all geometry to have a material override button built-in for individual selecting. Library parts already have this in their 'model' tabs. It is this setting that the new functionality would interact with. When this is switched off the objects should revert to their normal materials.

[Anonymous]

Essential.
This would seem to help me in my remodeling design/build sales.
As in: here's the pen, I think we are ready to ink the deal,
because we've now gone through all your design concerns,
Mr and Mrs Got-the-bucks.

Bier

[Anonymous]

The place should be in render settings (with include/exclude option) not in edit selection set

[Anonymous]

The place should be in render settings (with include/exclude option) not in edit selection set

[Laszlo Nagy]

I did not vote because this is not relevant to me but there is a relatively quick workaround:
1. Create a file in which all materials are the same and save an AAT file through the Attribute Manager.
2. Go to yo project, save its Attribute Set as an AAT file.
3. Bring in the uniform material AAT file and overwrite all your materials in your Project file.


When you are finished you can bring back your original materials from the saved AAT file through the Attribute Manager.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Laszlo / Zucoc,

I wasn't thinking of overriding every material in the whole project, only the ones that were selected. This is why I'm suggesting using the 'Edit Selection Set' tool. I would still like some parts of the model to be their original colours.

In Matthews post he gives the example of needing multiple complex profile trims each with just a different finish. Being able to ignore the materials applied using the profile manager and applying a single overriding material would be very useful in this situation. The ability to change it back to the original materials is equally important.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Peter wrote:
Thanks for your thoughts.

Laszlo / Zucoc,

I wasn't thinking of overriding every material in the whole project, only the ones that were selected. This is why I'm suggesting using the 'Edit Selection Set' tool. I would still like some parts of the model to be their original colours.

In Matthews post he gives the example of needing multiple complex profile trims each with just a different finish. Being able to ignore the materials applied using the profile manager and applying a single overriding material would be very useful in this situation. The ability to change it back to the original materials is equally important.

OK, I get it. The Edit Selection Set is actually a pretty good place for that then. Maybe I vote.

[Karl Ottenstein]

I don't like this idea (yet).

Even if other elements were given material over-rides ... the checkbox would over-ride all materials (fine at first thought)...but then when you clear the checkbox, all materials would go back to what they were ... even though you had individually over-ridden the materials for various objects throughout the project originally. So, you would not return to where you began.

For a uniform material change - that is, all materials become one [which seems to be the wish?] - the solution is to use Attribute Manager, as discussed in other threads. Save all of your material attributes to an AAT file so that you can restore them, and then load an AAT file that basically has the desired material duplicated often enough to cover all index numbers.

Attribute Manager is kind of a trick, of course. What materials changes/etc really should be part of is a Design Options Manager, which is also on the wishlist I think...

Cheers,
Karl

[Anonymous]

Karl wrote:
Even if other elements were given material over-rides ... the checkbox would over-ride all materials (fine at first thought)...but then when you clear the checkbox, all materials would go back to what they were ... even though you had individually over-ridden the materials for various objects throughout the project originally. So, you would not return to where you began.

I see what you mean; what happens when you override an objects material which has already been overriden individually? What happens if you then clear the override? What does it go back to?

A quick 'n' dirty option may be to just ignore the previous override and revert to the original materials. You can always go back afterwards and manually change them individually or as a selection set to their previous over-ridden state.

If you wanted a more complex solution then perhaps they could introduce some kind of 'override history' for each object, which rolls back one version. There should be a checkbox in the Edit Selection dialog box that only activates when 'use object's materials' is selected. (See attached). Unfortunately with all the extra complexity this may entail it may be more efficient to implement a proper material options manager instead.

Karl wrote:
..For a uniform material change - that is, all materials become one [which seems to be the wish?] - the solution is to use Attribute Manager...

Re-read my last post. Laszo was thinking exactly the same thing!

[Erika Epstein]

I'm surprised there is so much objection to having the ability to select by a common material. Even if you don't see a particular use for it, I would have thought you would support it for possibility and consistency.

Since it was changed to everything defaulting to the Archicad Layer I have often enough found the common denominator for what I want to select to correct to be the material. I may then use this selection set to change layer.

Bottom line there seem to be a number of uses for this wish.
Thanks Peter creating the wish.