Material Inheritance

A material can be assigned to a geometry set, feature, link and component. Any geometry set or feature that does not have an assigned material will inherit the material of its parent feature or node. Generally, a node inherits the material of its root node/component. In some cases, the material of a node is defined by a command, action or Python script. For example, the geometry of a node can be colored red whenever the joint of that node exceeds its limits. Generally, an object with no material reference is highlighted orange in the 3D world.

A material is grouped according to its use and availability.

• Layout - A material being used by an object in the 3D world, which may include materials from user and system libraries. If a layout material is not from a user or system library, the material is only available in the current layout of the 3D world. In those cases, you can edit the material and add it to a user library.
• User - A material in a user library. A user material can be edited and is always available. By default, all materials in a user library are saved to a file in the My Materials folder of your Visual Components Premium 4.9 documents.
• Library - A read-only material in a system library. A library material is always available, but it cannot be edited nor added to a user library.