[Mac] Can't find my material library after reloading the Material Library VX

Support Basics & Interface
1

Hi all,
I stupidly reset the default new file and lost all the addons.
I re-checked the Material Library VX in Preferences, but when I try to apply one of my materials, I get an error saying “select a library”, and my library isn’t in the drop-down menu.
How do I get my library back??
I wouldn’t mind creating a new library and re-marking all the materials from all my files as “assets” into the new library, but the option is greyed out so I can’t even do that.
Help, please!
Thanks

2

Material Library VX stores user libraries in a directory called “matlib”. For me (Windows 10, Blender 3.1) that is located in C:/Users/MyUserName/AppData/Roaming/Blender Foundation/Blender/matlib; if you don’t find it in your equivalent then your best bet is to run a search on your system.

Once you find it, you can add that path to the Material Library VX add-on in Preferences and you should be all set.

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3

Thanks for your reply and your help.
I’m on a Mac and I can’t find any folder named “matlib”
This is nuts

4

Hm. I don’t have a functioning Mac, so I can’t check, but I looked at the code of the add-on, and it itself is OS-agnostic, so it uses typical, basic OS-paths, to which it appends “matlib”. (I originally had trouble finding it too because it wasn’t on the drive on which I installed Blender.)

That means it stores its user matlib in a place where Macs commonly store this sort of thing. That used to be one of these:

/Library/Application Support/<application name>/
~/Library/Application Support/<application name>/
/Library/Preferences/<application name>/
~/Library/Preferences/<application name>/
/Library/<application name>/
~/Library/<application name>/

I have no idea whether those might have changed in the last 5 years. I also vaguely remember that in some past OS versions Libraries used to be hidden, which means a search wouldn’t find it, so you gotta go sleuthing manually.

Sorry I can’t be of better help; maybe a current Mac user will come along and know more. I edited the title so it’s more obvious.

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5

Thanks, I found the matlib folder.
You have to press the option key when clicking “Go” to find the libraries folder.

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6

THANKS MAN!
I copied my original material files in the matlib folder and they appeared in the dropdown.
Thanks a bunch, this was driving me nuts.
:::

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7

Yay!

In case somebody else has the same problem, where did you find the matlib directory?

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8

On Mac you have to press option when clicking on “Go” in the Finder menu to see the “library” appear. I didn’t know that either since I’m also a MacOs noob…
Then Application Support → Blender → Matlib folder
I copied my libraries in there and they reappeared in the VX dropdown menu.
Thanks a again!

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