5.9.2.8.  Menu item Render attributes
5.9.2.8.2.  Render material - Settings
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5.9.2.8.2.  Render material - Settings

[Note]Note

This note contains important key points. Later at the single options, you can find details.

Attribute display

The attributes Percentage Metallic, Roughness, Mix color with color texture, Color texture, Normalmap and Transparency are only displayed as of version 11 SP4.

Versions prior 11 SP4 only show Color.

More information concerning display color can be found under Section 5.9.2.8.3, “Rendering matrices”.

Attribute export

  • RenderMaterial set on part level:

    • When exporting to a CAD system, the Color! of render material is transferred.

      An entry under "Color and texture" -> "Color" is not needed and is not used - if available.

      An entry under "Color and texture" -> "Color" is not needed and is not used - if available.

      Exception:

      If an entry is made under Color and texture -> Color AND the option Mix color with color texture is set AND a texture is entered, then the color from Color and texture -> Color is exported into the CAD, NOT the color of render material.[a]

    • If NO render material is set, but a color under Color and texture -> Color, then this is transferred to the CAD system.

  • RenderMaterial set on face level:

    If the render material is set as face attribute, then also the color of render material is correctly transferred to the CAD system and overwrites the value under Color and texture -> Color. Reason for this is that SYS_FaceAttributeColor is automatically set with the color from render material. However, in particular please consider that this automatic setting only works for a first time. Later changes of SYS_FaceAttributeRenderMaterial won't be pulled again.

Material specification via variable

Material can also be set via variable. However, this significantly affects the performance, why it should only be used if really needed. If the render material is specified via variable, in versions prior 11 SP4 NO color is displayed and NO color is exported to the CAD.

Face attributes

Render Materials can also be used for Face attributes or Feature attributes... such as Blend/Sweep. Details can be found here.

Priority texture before color

In the dialog box Edit material for 3D preview, the texture has always priority over color, if the option Mix color with color texture is not activated. Details on this can be found in the matrices under Section 5.9.2.8.3, “Rendering matrices”.

Caution: Nevertheless, the desired color has to be set, because a) textures are only displayed in CADENAS software (PARTdataManager, PARTproject, …) and will not be exported to CAD systems and b) colors are already displayed while the texture is still loading when opening a part.

So also set the desired color, even if the option Mix color with color texture is not set (compare following figure).

Example: Wood texture

Example: Wood texture

Please fill in the license information (as of V11 SP5), this is mandatory. Otherwise an error message is displayed.

The fields License, Source and Source date are mandatory fields and have to be filled in when creating a new render material (only if a texture is used/specified, otherwise not). If this remains undone a respective note is displayed.

  • License: CC0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)

  • Source: URL

  • Source date (e.g. date/time of download)

Fill in license information

Fill in license information

The option Mix color with color texture should only be used with gray textures.

Standard approach

  • Deactivated option Mix color with color texture

    Mixing colors with texture in fact only makes sense, if one and the same texture is used with a lot of different colors (e.g. for painted surfaces).

  • Use textures with desired color.

  • Due to compatibility reasons (concerning export), set a matching color under Color.

    Caution: Nevertheless, the desired color has to be set, because a) textures are only displayed in CADENAS software (PARTdataManager, PARTproject, …) and will not be exported to CAD systems and b) colors are already displayed while the texture is still loading when opening a part.

Textures/Normalmaps

  1. Textures from the Internet may only be used if the source is freely usable. This can be recognized by the fact that you do not have to specify where the source/the texture comes from. It is also important that the texture can be used without attribution. -> Use only textures, which are CC0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)!

  2. For any texture downloaded from the Internet, the source, so the link, must be deposited in the catalog. Additionally the date with time, when you downloaded the file! This serves the legal protection.

  3. Textures can be downloaded for example from the following sites:

    Please note: Sometimes the licenses are defined differently per texture!

  4. Do not download textures from forums! The license conditions are often confusing.

General:

  1. Textures should always be downloaded and saved with an associated Normal/Normalmap with the same resolution.

    Textures may be used without the corresponding normal. However, a normal may not be used without the corresponding texture!

  2. Textures must be tileable (-> seamless).

  3. Textures may not be scaled or compressed!

  4. Pay attention to the resolution of the texture:

    • min.: 512*512

    • max.: 2048*2048

    The resolution must be a power of 2 (2^n).

    Permitted resolutions: 512*512; 1024*1024; 2048*2048

    If there is no permitted resolution available you can use a resolution higher than 2048*2048 (4096*4096; 8192*8192).

[a] This special setting is only required, if many different colors shall be used based on one and the same texture or if colors shall be controlled by variables.

In the dialog box Edit material for 3D preview, you can perform the following settings:

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5.9.2.8.1.1.  Render Materials for Face attributes  Home 5.9.2.8.3. Rendering matrices