Which function has the parameter "Class" in a Material? and how does it differentiate itself from a Material Category?

[aksel_alvarez]

Hey folks! I'm working in a Material Library for a project and want to use the opportunity to create a Library that helps us to automate and improve our LCA-calculations as well our Arch-Viz work.

As you can see in the picture below I'm a bit intrigued by two aspects of the organization: Material Class and Material Category.

I made a quick search for some info about those parameters and the knowledge database seems to don't have any information regarding them. This article https://cutt.ly/WQzGPfX just have an overview of the parameters but doesn't go deep into the question, a deeper insight on materials is available in this article https://cutt.ly/ZQzHnRI but as usual, the focus is on the appearance of the materials.

I'm guessing that the Class parameter is there as a means to allow the work via API with materials (you can check it in the API docs site here https://cutt.ly/gQzHFoi) and the "Category" is just a way to organize a Material Library that doesn't have an impact into the Model's data structure.

What I can't understand is why these classes are predefined as they are in list #2 and which effect does have that a specific material is classified in one or another class.

I'm guessing it right? Are there some examples of best practices that I can check to orient myself? Does somebody possess the knowledge about what these parameters are and why they are organized the way they are? (see list marked with #2 in the image)

Thanks in advance for your help!

[barthbradley]

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