Modifying Materials

QUESTION

I found a material in the library that I would like to modify and then use in different plans. How can I do this?  

ANSWER

Existing materials can be copied and modified, then applied to individual walls, entire rooms, or specific surfaces.

To make a copy of a material

1. Select View> Library Browser  to open the Library Browser side window if it's not already open, then locate a material that you would like to modify.
   
   In this example, we searched for "walnut flooring" and located the "Walnut 5" Plank - Medium" material for modification. 
   
   
   
2. Right-click on the text that is specified as the material's name and select Copy to User Catalog from the contextual menu. 
   
   

   Note: On a Mac, hold down the Control key while clicking to initiate a right-click command. More information about right-click commands on Apple input devices can be found in the following Apple resource: Right-click on Mac.

   
   

To modify a copied material

1. Right-click on the copied material located in your User Catalog folder, then select Open Object .
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. On the Pattern* panel, settings related to the pattern of the material can be changed; patterns are displayed in the Technical Illustration and Vector View rendering techniques: 
   
   *Pattern properties are not available in Home Designer Suite (legacy).
   
   
   
   
   • Enter an appropriate Material Name. 
     
     In this example, the word "Rotated" was added to the end of the name.
      
     
   • The Colors, Pattern, Scale, and Offset and Angle settings associated with the pattern can be specified.
     
     You can also check the "Keep Pattern/Texture in Sync" box to maintain consistent Scale and Offset and Angle settings for both the selected material's pattern and its texture if any of these settings are modified.
     
     In this example, the checkbox mentioned above is checked and the Angle is set to 180 degrees. 
     
     
   • For more information on the various settings here, select the Help button at the bottom of the dialog to open your program's documentation.  
     
   
   
   
3. Access the Texture* panel within the Define Material dialog that displays. 
   
   *In Home Designer Suite (legacy), separate dialog panels are not available.
   
   
   
   
   • Again, the Material Name can be modified here, if you wish. Note that the material will only take on a single name; however, the option to specify a name is available on both the Pattern and Texture panels. 
     
     
   • The Scale, Offset and Angle, and Material Color settings associated with the texture image can be specified.
     
     In this example, no additional changes are made, but since the "Keep Pattern/Texture in Sync" box is checked, adjusting the Angle by 90 degrees in Step 3 above also applied the change here, which is the desired outcome. 
     
     
   • For more information on the various settings here, select the Help button at the bottom of the dialog to open your program's documentation.
   
   
   
4. An Add to Library button is available, allowing you to create different material variations and add them directly to the User Catalog without closing the dialog. 
   
   
   
5. Once all desired changes are complete, click OK.