Materials: preview and selection

This article explains how to browse, preview, and select materials in the Authoring Hub.

Materials grid view

The Materials tab now includes a grid view option for easier visual browsing of materials.

To switch to grid view:

1. Go to Materials in the left navigation
2. Click the grid view icon in the top right corner

The grid preview is now displayed.

To preview materials, open the 3D Authoring Viewer:

1. Click the three dots menu
2. Select Add 3D Authoring Viewer

Drag the 3D Authoring Viewer panel to the side. Click on any material to see its preview on the pedestal.



The pedestal can be rotated 360 degrees. Material settings can be updated and changes are displayed in real time.

Associating materials to actual geometries or options

When assigning materials to geometry layers, materials can be searched by their code directly in the materialRef field.

In Geometries tab

1. Go to Items and open the required item
2. Select the Geometries tab
3. Expand Main → layers
4. Click on the materialRef field
5. Start typing to search for materials
6. Select the required material from the dropdown

Alternatively, click Search for Material to browse and select materials from the full list. Select the material and click Add selected.

When selecting a material, detailed information about the material is displayed on the right side of the panel.

Materials can be selected from two sources:

• source catalog – when selecting a material from the current catalog, the materialRef displays only the material code

• dependency catalog – when selecting a material from a dependency catalog, the materialRef includes a D prefix indicating it comes from a dependency

  

In Feature options

Material search by materialRef is also available in Features options:

1. Go to Features tab and open the required feature
2. Select the Options tab
3. Select the required option
4. Open its Layers
5. Click + Add layers
6. Start typing to search for materials in materialRef field
7. Select the required material from the dropdown

Assigning Materials to Attributes

For Cabinetry catalogs, materials are assigned to attributes rather than directly to layers. Attributes act as an intermediary to carry material IDs through the shape hierarchy.

Layers are generic, with limited resolution capacity. Attributes allow controlling materials from the top of the hierarchy down to individual components.

To assign a material to an attribute:

1. Open the Feature
2. Go to the Options tab
3. Open an option
4. Go to the Attributes tab
5. Find the attribute to assign the material to (attributes starting with la_ are layer attributes)

6. Enter the material ID in the Default value field

   

Material ID Format

Using this: is recommended when referencing materials from the current catalog.