All of the materials used in modeling are defined in the materials list. All virtual model elements use these materials. A material defines the look of the model element. The materials list must first be defined before it can be used in 3D objects. Materials use texture files. MAGNET Modeler reads texture files from texture folders. Please see the article MAGNET Modeler for Autodesk: Texture and sound libraries for more information.
Materials can be edited via the material selection dialog box which appears every time you choose a material for any object. Left-click to choose, and right-click to access the menu where you can delete, modify, or add new materials.
When choosing the texture for a material or selecting a material with texture to object definition, you can see a preview of a texture in the dialog box. This helps with selecting the right texture/material.
AutoCAD colors are used as material for objects which don't have any material assigned.
Parameters
• name
Name of the material. This is shown when you select materials for 3D objects.
• filename
Name of the texture file. If left empty, only the color of the material is shown.
• description
A descriptive text for the entry. If defined, it will be shown instead of the long description.
• ambient
Surface color where no direct sunlight is hit, also called a shadow side color. This is generally the same as diffuse.
• emission
Color that is multiplied with other colors. Generally 0,0,0 but it can be used to make a fluorescent effect.
• diffuse
Surface color where direct sunlight hits. This is the most dominant color.
• specular
Defines the intensity and color of a specular highlight effect. If the material does not shine (most cases), let this be zero (black).
• shininess
Shininess (scope of the highlight) of the material, 0-1.
• transparency
Transparency of the material, 0-1.
• defaultwidth
Width of the texture in drawing units. This has other uses for elements and building wall textures; see object properties for details.
• defaultheight
Height of the texture in drawing units. This has other uses for elements and building wall textures; see object properties for details.
• reflective
- yes = Material reflects its surroundings.
- no = Material does not reflect its surroundings.
• physics_friction
The friction coefficient that is used in the simulate car physics mode for the surface material friction calculation. Range 0-1, where 0 equals no friction and 1 equals full friction.