Creating Materials

Introductory Training Video: Creating Materials and Colors

Chief Architect comes with many materials that are ready for use. They are found in the Materials category of the Library Browser. If you cannot find a suitable material, you can edit an existing material or create a new material. See "Editing Materials".

Once you have a suitable material, it can be applied to objects. See "Applying Materials".

From the Library Browser

A material can be created from and added directly to the Library Browser, making it available for use in other plans. See "The Library Browser".

In the directory pane of the Library Browser, select an unlocked folder or sub-folder in the Materials category and select Library> New> Material . Or, right-click on the folder and select New> Material from the contextual menu.

In the Define Material dialog, you can create a new material in the selected unlocked folder. See "Define Material Dialog".

Using Paste Image

You can create a new material by first copying an image that will serve as its texture to the Windows Clipboard, then navigating to a Chief Architect window and selecting Edit> Paste> Paste from the menu. See "Paste".

You can also use the Screen Capture tools to create a new material texture and add it to the library. See "Creating Screen Captures".

Converting Textures to Materials

An entire folder of textures can be converted into a library of materials. When converted, the folder of materials assumes the same file structure in the Materials category of the Library Browser. Select 3D> Materials> Convert Texture to Materials and then browse to a folder of textures on your computer.

Converting Material.dat files

Material.dat files, which were used in prior versions of Chief Architect, can be converted to materials and saved directly to the Library Browser by selecting 3D> Materials> Convert Material Definition (.dat) Files.

Converting MaterialTemplate Plans

Select 3D> Materials> Create Plan Materials Library to create a library of materials based on the materials used in the current plan. This is useful for converting material template plans, a common way to store material definitions in prior versions of Chief Architect, into a materials library. This command creates a new library in the Materials category using the same name as the plan. Adding materials to the library individually allows you to store the material within the existing directory structure.