topic Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab in Revit Architecture Forum

Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

drake_taxon — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:46:53 GMT

I am working on our material library and noticed today that in Revit 2024 I can see the assigned hatch patterns in the graphics tab of the material editor window, but when I look at the same material in the library in Revit 2025, it says <None> for the hatch. The hatch types are loaded into both projects. Any ideas on why this is? I am on Revit 2024.3 and Revit 2025.3.

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

adariz76 — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 14:42:37 GMT

same problem. hoping for a fast solution.

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

RDAOU — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:00:19 GMT

@drake_taxon @adariz76

Currently there is a 2025.4 update not sure if the templates got updated as well.

In general it depends on the template used and what materials/patterns are loaded into it and the graphic settings these material use...The pattern itself would not be saved/embeded in the Material Library but more like referenced/pathed to it. in 2025 at my end (based on the setup I have been already through)

if I use the default Architectural US English, the same material you showed looks like the below Image.
if I use the ResidentialGBR English one, it looks different (see GIF)

The issue which you are describing might be due to the different Schema used in 2025 and and the changes they introduced to pattern definitions. When a material from an .adsklib is imported into Revit, the software may override certain properties (like patterns) with defaults if it cannot find a direct match. Moreover, opposite to how revit does not support backward saving, when it comes to material libraries Revit's .adsklib files are backward-compatible but sometimes not fully forward-compatible.

An easy fix to your issue is to simply open your current 2025 template and the other template from 2024 which you like then do the following

On the Manage Tab >> Sttings >> Transfer Project Standards
Select Materials
Hit OK
When asked, click overwrite
Once done save the template for future use

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

drake_taxon — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:22:33 GMT

So the graphic hatches need to be loaded into a project before loading a material that references it?

Also, those materials are showing up in my Material Library, not the project materials. I would like to be able to just load a material from my material library into a project and have the associated hatch come with. Is this possible or does the hatch already need to be in a project?

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

RDAOU — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 23:04:32 GMT

@drake_taxon

Normally you would preload the most commenly used material into your .rte (Template) which you start projects from. This helps you avoid loading the material every time you start a new model.

Of course throughout the project life cycle especially the design phase, architects come up with new material which you did not have in the library. For these, you would need to create new material (you can do it straight in the project) and add it later to the Custom Library. Such material you do not need to preload into the Template (.rte) because they are mostly project specific. ANd if needed on another project you would load from the Custom Library which you have created (see Image 2)

You can use the materials in your model

after they are loaded into the project/model (from the Library or by default from the Project Template)
or if such materials were created in the project model itself (using duplicate Material & Assets or Create New)

Image 1

Image 2

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

drake_taxon — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 01:29:02 GMT

I get this work flow, but what happens if you create a material in a project with a new hatch, save it out to your custom library, then try to load it into the next project which doesn’t have that new hatch preloaded? It would not have that hatch with this issue I am having.

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

adariz76 — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 07:20:15 GMT

@RDAOU

this is not the issue. We are talking about creating a custom material library (*.adsklib) and loading this into a Revit project. If yo do that in a release before 2025 all works well, but importing such a library into Revit 2025, the hatches wouldn't be imported 😞

Revit 2023

Revit 2025.4

I hope now would be more clear.

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

RDAOU — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:23:27 GMT

@adariz76 @drake_taxon

Please refer to my first reply. Unfortunately, that’s how it is. To recap what was stated previously:

The patterns are not stored or embedded in the .adsklib file (they are only pathed/referenced).
Autodesk has introduced some enhancements to Pattern Definitions, and while .adsklib files are 100% backward compatible, they are not always fully forward compatible.
- For example, the .adsklib file from 2022 would work in 2018, but not the other way around. This is because Autodesk introduced a change in the Material Naming convention, and special characters are no longer supported.
- As a result, anyone with a library in 2018 that used special characters had to recreate, import, and redefine it in 2022.

The process of migrating from an older version to a newer one is fairly easy and can be automated. However, if you are not familiar with Dynamo and Python, having a Material/Patterns management file (.rvt) from the previous version can help in the process. You would need to create a Revit 2023 or 2024 .rvt file that contains only the materials and patterns from your working library in that version (save this file and never upgrade it)

Open a blank 2025 file clean and purged from all material and patterns
Open the 2023 or 2024 Material Project which has your library and patterns all loaded
Use transfer Project standers from the 2023/2024 to the 2025
Save the 2025 and a new 2025_Material.rvt
Open the Material browser and Save all the materials to a 2025_Material.adsklib file which will be your new custom library with patterns pathed properly
make sure to apply changes and exit the material library for all the changes to be properly saved

Below is a GIF capturing the above...it is fairly easy doing it manually. the only annoying part is readding some 300 materials to the new 2025_Material.adsklib

I had a 2025 model open where the Material loaded had no patterns and the 2022_Material.adsklib materials was also not showing the patterns
I opened my Loaded_Material Library 2022 file where I had all my 2022 Mats/assets/pattern loaded
used Transfer Project standers to my 2025 model and voila...all the older patterns are there
adding that back into the library, you can see towards the end that the patterns also got updated in the .adsklib

Re: Material Library - Missing data from Graphics Tab

_JayCee — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 05:17:48 GMT

This has been a problem since the switch to the current material format. And frankly, it's absurd to the point of being an embrassment. The material palette is where we define what the vast majority of our documentation looks like - which in and of itself is problematic - to then be told, "oh no, it'll only store the render elements, not the documentation elements" in the one place specifically capable of centralising this function is just insane...

Does anyone actually use Revit for rendering? Seriously? In comparison to its usage numbers for documentation I bet it's a miniscule percentage. Revit 27 drops in less than two months, meaning this has been an issue for now for almost 15 years (the adsklib was introduced in 2013 iirc). Laughable. The system needs a complete overhaul, where documentation standards are fully detached from the rendering aspect. Just as should have been done back in 2013. Don't hold your breath though...