Materials Library (.adsklib)

[lbuchanan]

Currently, when you create a custom Library of Materials so that you can share them easily with others it does not hold the Surface and Cut patterns that are associated with the material. Especially if it is a custom pattern that you are using. The appearance Asset seems to only bring in the information on the "Appearance" tab. The material does seem to bring in the information Stored on the "Identity" tab so we just need the "Graphics" Tab to do the same. I know you can do this through "Transfer Projects Standards", but if you only need a few materials from a library of 100 then I would like to grab hem from the library instead of having to purge out the ones I don't need. Can this be added in the next release (or 2020 at this point)?

[Anonymous]

Currently, when you save a customized material with a customized surface and/or cut pattern to a custom user library (adsklib file), and then upload that custom library to a new project, none of the cut or surface patterns are saved.  While this saves time for renderings for often used materials, it misses the opportunity to save time by not having to recreate surface and cut patterns for drawings of frequently used materials.

[kh_jea]

This is a major pain in the *ss. (Spend hours creating material libraries for our office, only to discover, Revit doesn't remember the patterns)

The whole point of material libraries should be the ability to maintain a standard across projects. One of those standards is cut and surface patterns. It's maybe even one of the most important ones, along with naming.

Autodesk should incorperate this ASAP.

[lionel.kai]

It works (brings in the patterns) when using TPS (Transfer Project Standards), so it must have something to do with the file format they're using. See also:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture-forum/cut-and-surface-patterns-missing-when-i-load-...

We keep all of our materials in our template, so I never noticed this. I don't even bother with TPS, because it's "all or nothing", but then our materials needs are modest (we're not architects).

Would it be feasible for you to make "dummy" projects with your materials (maybe grouped into categories), then use TPS to bring them in? I know it'd be a pain to have to open the material model first (each time you want to copy a material). You could delete extra/unwanted materials before using TPS, but that would also be a pain. Would making one file per material be feasible? How many materials do you have? What are you doing right now for a workaround? (just curious) 🙂

[kh_jea]

The problem with using TPS is it will immensly clutter the Material Browser.

We have all our materials grouped per chapter (of our specifications manual) in a different library. In total I'm talking about hundreds of materials.

Using the material libraries enables us to select which material to load into a project.

[Anonymous]

Why is it not possible to save graphics asset to a material in a library? Or make a Graphics Assets library?

Cut patterns, surface patterns and shadings of a material is the same from project to project. Therefore we would like to add it as properties (assets) of the materials in a company library. For now it is only possible for Appearance, Physical and Thermal assets. 

[Zsolt.Varga]

Same wish reported by German reseller Contelos GmbH.

[Anonymous]

The dummy project for a MASTER MATERIAL LIBRARY is a workaround, but sub-par because, like mentioned above, it would export all materials from current project to the master, not just the material(s) desired.  Also (sort-of) mentioned above, the other material information can/will be transferred if, during TPS, the user checks the boxes for:  Line Patterns, Line Styles, Line Weights, Fill Patterns, and Materials.  This also creates more work.

Ideal solution is that the Material Library itself is capable of housing ALL Material subcomponents including patterns, styles, weights -- and additionally, COLOR SWATCHES, if savable swatches were integrated into Revit.

(https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-ideas/project-color-swatch-library/idi-p/6670753)

[MarcusDipietro2780]

Regarding the workaround of creating dummy projects to store some or all materials categories:  Is it possible to create a dummy component (a cube or sphere shape) within the dummy project and assign a custom material for each new dummy type? Then custom materials could be loaded selectively into a new project by inserting or pasting-then-deleting from the dummy project. I suppose the same end could be achieved by saving the dummy component family to a custom library (named by material) and using the insert family command.

[Anonymous]

Still a workaround, but True. Seems like this might bring in associated hatches and line types as well?

-Nick

[Anonymous]

Another workaround - you can install the "TransferSingle" add-in by Juan Osborne. It allows you to select individual standards (including materials) to transfer to your project (it even lets you transfer them to multiple projects at once!). It will keep the cut and surface pattern settings as it uses the same method as transferring project standards. Check it out here: https://apps.autodesk.com/RVT/en/Detail/Index?id=1090472181312958476&appLang=en&os=Win64

Shawnee

[carlaalves-br]

PLEASE PLEASE, Autodesk!! I don't want work arounds! I want the library to include de patterns!

[Anonymous]

The fact this doesn't include patterns makes the concept of having a custom library being next to useless.

This is a fundamental issue that needs fixing and it should be fixed through updates to current releases too, not just a future release if we're lucky. A lot of companies create families in older versions of Revit so they can be used in projects across numerous versions.

We want to select materials from a custom library (with patterns) when making families without having to have the entire set of materials in the template files.

[lsuuronen]

The only way to fix this is really to fix the materials library. All workarounds are extremely risky creating situations where there are potentially copies of a material with a similar name but with different properties floating around in various project and then being transferred from one project to another. Then there's practically no way to find out whether everything is up to date in a project. Keeping control in conflict situations is potentially an endless amount of work.

With more emphasis on visualizations with f.ex Enscape all this becomes all the more urgent. If Revit is ever to be turned into an efficient architectural design software, this is one of the issues that absolutely has to be fixed. 

[MarcusDipietro2780]

100% concur. The materials library function in Revit is bloated and broken.
I use Enscape everyday with Revit and I am painfully aware of all the
shortfalls of managing materials in Revit. After 9 years' using Revit, I am
100% certain that my materials library is not reliable. No matter how much
time I devote to keeping it organized and cleaned up, I am never confident
that my material appearances will be reliable or re-usable.

Extreme contrast to Sketchup, where every and any material I use seems to
work every time rendering with Enscape. Assigning materials is effortless
and the ability to tweak on the fly is fantastic. The material's palette
give the perfect amount of control.

[perry.swoboda]

This is a problem I wish to see addressed as well.
But maybe it is?  I recently downloaded an adsklib of Sherwin Williams Resiliance Semi-Gloss Paint.  I opened it up and examined it (the adsklib file is basically a zip file).  This Sherwin Williams adsklib contains embedded texture and preview files. 
When I make an adsklib file from Revit it only contains local path information for textures.

Does anyone know how Sherwin Williams was able to make this superior adsklib file?  Is there a tool I can buy?  It would certainly solve my problems.

[perry.swoboda]

My mistake.  There are only paints in this adsklib with no texture files.  Only preview images.

[rolandga]

I suspect the reason why Autodesk might not ever add native Revit functionality such as hatch patterns to Material libraries (.adsklib files) is that these libraries are shared between a whole roaster of applications (Max, Inventor etc.) and designed to work with all of them with regards to texture images only.  It has always bothered me how they call these Material Libraries when from a Revit user's point of view these are strictly only "Appearance Asset" or "Texture Libraries". Quite misleading to a Revit user and not very clear in Autodesk's documentation.  On the other hand it shouldn't be too hard to build a real Revit Material Library system that could still use the .adsklib libraries for the appearances. Then they also could improve the problem of lost custom textures, that neither travel with the Revit model nor easily transfer between PC's. Revit can display CAD links that have lost the live connection, so it should save in-use material patches within the model in a similar manner.

[lionel.kai]

@rolandga Sounds like a great idea - if you post it, I'll vote (save in-use material patches within the model similar to CAD links). I've always wondered why CAD links (potentially multiple MBs) were copied/cached in the model without even asking if that's what we want, but other kinds of links... no option.

[MarcusDipietro2780]

Wow! What a brilliant idea! If only the developers at Autodesk thought as
clearly as you do. Thank you for your insightful comments, I only hope
Autodesk is listening.

[ruben_bureauboom]

Same wish as OP.