This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Linking and unlinking materials
In the preceding example, you sampled the material for the Jar Lid model from the Cup 2 model. This created a single material instance that was linked between both models. When you changed the material color, it was updated on both models. As noted, you can unlink the material if you want to control the attributes of the material on each object independently.
Dimension follows a fairly subtle set of rules as to when it links materials and when it doesn’t. Let’s examine material linking more closely and see how Dimension decides when to link materials.
Applying materials en masse
You can apply materials to several models at the same time, resulting in a common linked material, which makes quick work of altering those models.
Choose File > Open.
Select the file named Lesson_06_02_begin.dn, which is in the Lessons > Lesson06 folder that you copied onto your hard disk, and then click Open.
Select the Select tool (keyboard shortcut: V).
Select all three sphere models: click one of the models, hold down the Shift key, and click each of the other two models. Notice that the spheres aren’t grouped together.
In the Content panel, select the Plastic MDL material to apply it to the three selected spheres all at once. When you apply a material to multiple objects with a single click, the material is linked between the objects by default.
Choose Select > Deselect All to deselect the sphere models.
In the Scene panel, hover over the Sphere 1 model, and click the right arrow icon
to reveal the material applied to the sphere.You will see a Break Link To Material icon
appear in the Actions panel. The presence of this icon tells you that the material you have selected is linked to at least one other model.In the Properties panel, click the color swatch next to Base Color, and change the color to a bright orange. The material color of all three spheres changes because all three models share a common linked material. Conclusion: when you apply a material to multiple objects with a single click, the material is linked between the objects by default.
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Breaking a link
When you no longer want the material that is applied to multiple models to be linked, you can break the link, allowing you to individually modify the material applied to the models.
Click the back arrow icon
at the top of the Scene panel to return to the model list.Hover over the Sphere 2 model in the Scene panel, and click the right arrow icon
to reveal the material applied to the sphere.Click the Break Link To Material icon
in the Actions panel. The icon will disappear from the Actions panel, indicating that the material is no longer linked to another model.In the Properties panel, click the color swatch next to Base Color, and change the color to a contrasting green.
The material of Sphere 2 is the only one to change color, since it contains an independent material that is no longer linked to the other spheres.
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Applying materials one at a time
If you apply the same material to several objects one at a time, the material is not linked between the models. The material applied to each model is a separate “instance” of the material. The properties of the material instance can be changed without affecting the other models.
Choose Select > Deselect All.
Locate the Matte MDL material in the Content panel, and drag it onto the leftmost sphere model.
Drag the Matte material onto the middle sphere model.
Drag the Matte material onto the rightmost sphere model.
Press Esc to display the model list in the Scene panel.
Double-click the leftmost sphere to reveal the material applied to the sphere in the Scene panel.
In this case, there is no Break Link To Material icon
displayed in the Actions panel. This means that the material you have selected is not linked to any other models.
In the Properties panel, click the color swatch next to Base Color and change the color to a bright orange.
The material of Sphere 1 is the only one to change color, since it contains an independent material that is not linked to the other spheres. Conclusion: when you apply materials independently to objects one at a time, even if you apply the same material to each model, the materials are unlinked by default.
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Applying materials with the Sampler tool
If you want to apply a material used on one model to another model, you can do so with the Sampler tool. The result will be a material that is linked between the two models.
Click the back arrow icon
at the top of the Scene panel to return to the model list.In the Scene panel, click Cube 1 to select it.
In the Content panel, select the Metal MDL material to apply it to the surface of Cube 1.
Click the back arrow icon
at the top of the Scene panel to return to the model list.Click Cube 2 in the Scene panel to select it.
Select the Sampler tool (keyboard shortcut: I), and click the Cube 1 model (the cube with the metal material applied) on the canvas.
Hover over the Cube 2 model in the Scene panel, and click the right arrow icon
to reveal the material applied to the sphere.The Scene panel shows that the Metal material is applied to the Cube 2 model. Note that the Break Link To Material icon
appears in the Actions panel. This is your cue that the metal material used for Cube 1 is linked to Cube 2.In the Properties panel, click the color swatch next to Base Color and change the color to a bright orange.
Since they are linked, the material color on both Cube 1 and Cube 2 changes. Conclusion: when you use the Sampler tool to sample a material from one model to another, the materials in both models will be linked by default.
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Understanding Paste vs. Paste As Instance
Dimension has two Paste commands in the Edit menu: Paste and Paste As Instance. After you’ve copied a model to the clipboard, both of these commands will paste a duplicate of the model. But the two commands differ in how the material on the duplicate model is linked to that of the original model.
Select the Select tool (keyboard shortcut: V).
Select the cylinder model at the top of the scene.
Choose Edit > Copy.
Choose Edit > Paste.
Drag the blue arrow to the right so you can see both cylinders.
On the canvas, double-click the duplicate cylinder that you just created to reveal the cylinder material in the Scene panel.
In the Properties panel, click the color swatch next to Base Color and change the color to a contrasting green.
Since they aren’t linked, the material on only one of the cylinders changes. Conclusion: by default, when you copy and paste a model, use the Edit > Duplicate command, or Option/Alt-drag to duplicate a model, the materials of the models aren’t linked.
Select the green cylinder model.
Choose Edit > Copy.
Choose Edit > Paste As Instance.
Drag the blue arrow to the right so you can see both green cylinders.
On the canvas, double-click the duplicate green cylinder that you just created to reveal the cylinder material in the Scene panel.
In the Properties panel, click the color swatch next to Base Color and change the color to dark blue.
The material color on both cylinders changes since the materials are linked. Conclusion: when you use the Paste As Instance command, the materials in both models are linked by default.
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Linking summary
The subtleties of how Dimension links materials between objects can be boiled down to the following:
When you apply a material to multiple objects with a single click, the material is linked between the objects by default.
When you apply materials to objects one at a time, even if you apply the same material, the materials are unlinked by default.
When you use the Sampler tool to sample a material from one model to another, the materials in both models are linked by default.
When you copy and paste, use the Edit > Duplicate command, or Option/Alt-drag to duplicate a model, the materials of the models are not linked.
When you copy a model and use the Paste As Instance command, the materials in both models are linked by default.