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Can I 'collapse' materials?

Question asked by Cian McGrath on Jun 19, 2013
Latest reply on Jun 20, 2013 by Glenn Schroeder

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***UPDATE***

Not sure if I have this right but I think I applied an appearance and not material. They are 2 different things in solidworks?

I'll have to get my head around it. Is there a way to convert the appearance into the material?

Hi,

I'm new to Solidworks but not to 3D software and i'm having an issue that I can't seem to resolve.

I've imported a .step file and applied materials and saved as a solidworks file. When I import this into Cinema 4D the components have 2 materials. They have the materials I've added and the original base colour is listed as a material. My question is this:

Is it possible to 'merge/collapse' the material state so that it only has the materials that i've added? I can remove the top component but not the bottom.

Any help here would be really appresciated guys.

Thanks

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Glenn Schroeder Jun 19, 2013 12:48 PM

Welcome to the forum. Yes, appearance and material are two different things in SolidWorks. Appearance just affects the appearance of the model. Material is important if you need to determine weight, or if the part will be used in simulations.

You set the material by right-clicking on Material in the part tree (near the top, below the Equations folder) and making the appropriate selection. You can't directly convert an appearance to material, but you can remove appearances by right-clicking on the part name, choosing the Appearances icon (beach ball), and choosing "Remove Appearances".

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Cian McGrath @ Glenn Schroeder on Jun 20, 2013 4:35 AM

Hi Glenn. Thanks for the answer. Now I have a couple more questions if that's ok.

Is there a way to strip the scene of materials?

If the model had appearance and not materials would it be ok for exporting?

THanks again

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Glenn Schroeder @ Cian McGrath on Jun 20, 2013 8:12 AM

Cian McGrath wrote:

Is there a way to strip the scene of materials?

You can right click on the Material in the tree and choose "Remove Material" from the drop-down. I'm not sure what you mean by "scene of materials", but does this answer your question?
If the model had appearance and not materials would it be ok for exporting?

I rarely export SW files so I can't be of much help. I suppose it would depend on what it was being exported for. Maybe someone else can help with this question.

By the way, since you're a new forum member, here is a discussion put together by our leading contributor that will help you get the most out of it if you'd like to take a look: https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/39793.

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Glenn Schroeder Jun 19, 2013 12:48 PM
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Welcome to the forum. Yes, appearance and material are two different things in SolidWorks. Appearance just affects the appearance of the model. Material is important if you need to determine weight, or if the part will be used in simulations.

You set the material by right-clicking on Material in the part tree (near the top, below the Equations folder) and making the appropriate selection. You can't directly convert an appearance to material, but you can remove appearances by right-clicking on the part name, choosing the Appearances icon (beach ball), and choosing "Remove Appearances".
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- Cian McGrath @ Glenn Schroeder on Jun 20, 2013 4:35 AM
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  Hi Glenn. Thanks for the answer. Now I have a couple more questions if that's ok.
  
  Is there a way to strip the scene of materials?
  
  If the model had appearance and not materials would it be ok for exporting?
  
  THanks again
  P
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  - Glenn Schroeder @ Cian McGrath on Jun 20, 2013 8:12 AM
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    Cian McGrath wrote:
    
    Is there a way to strip the scene of materials?
    
    You can right click on the Material in the tree and choose "Remove Material" from the drop-down. I'm not sure what you mean by "scene of materials", but does this answer your question?
    If the model had appearance and not materials would it be ok for exporting?
    
    I rarely export SW files so I can't be of much help. I suppose it would depend on what it was being exported for. Maybe someone else can help with this question.
    
    By the way, since you're a new forum member, here is a discussion put together by our leading contributor that will help you get the most out of it if you'd like to take a look: https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/39793.
    Like • Show 0 Likes0
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Can I 'collapse' materials?

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