Materials Library

Coding Released Scripts and Themes
421

Hi there, Are you going to make a new video for 2.8?

422

I love this add on but who is supporting it now? I spent a LOT of time building up a custom library of materials I use and love but now I can’t find where that blend file was automatically created. I want to bring it in to the new 2.8 but can’t find it anywhere! Not in the 2.8 beta add on folder for VX, not in AppData either. I really hope all that time was not lost.
Also why is it so slow when loading or saving materials? Any hope of further improvement for thie wonderful add on?

423

The code itself is quite old and somewhat messy, better restart from scratch.
Saving materials require to open the lib in a background instance of blender and append the material from current scene into the material library file.
Loading only append the material to your scene, but doing so it does read the library file, and may slow down as the lib grows and if the file is compressed.

424

To avoid this kind of confusions, I proposed that libraries should be saved in the USER folder by default.
https://blenderartists.org/t/saving-materials-for-future-use/1170488/3

425

I set a folder in the add on preferences but after that I was not able to load materials from “My Library” which I created. So I removed that directory text from the add on preferences and it works like normal but the mystery still stands - where the heck is this blend file that it’s creating with all of the materials I’ve made in “My Library”???

426

Not sure how the folders work on Windows. These are the possible locations:
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/2.80/advanced/blender_directory_layout.html

If you were using a portable Blender version (one in which where you do not need to install Blender), by default the addon stores libraries in that folder from which you are running Blenedr portable, inside 2.80 folder. It should be something like:
\2.80\scripts\addons\materials_library_vx

So you don’t delete the folder from where you run portable blender.

If you had installed Blender and you configured the materials library from installed blender, I suppose the folder should be these shown in the documentation as “USER” folder.
Anyway, just in case, you also look in the folder that is shown in the documentation for “SYSTEM”
Edit:
Mmm, anyway apparently in Windows USER and SYSTEM are the same

427

I still use tis every day in Blender 2.79 and will continue to do so until I can upgrade my hardware to use Blender 2.81. Can some tell me where that actual material libary ( not the addon itself is stored on windows) I have a different blender setup. I put blender into a folder on my desktop called “Blender Files” So my blender 2.79 executable is C:/username/Downloads/Blender Files/blender279/. I put all my addons under that scrpts/addons/ folder there.

428

Hi.

There are many libraries available at www.blendswap.com. Then copy the blend file inside the addons folder. The plugin looks for libraries inside the addons folder but i believe, on newer versions, there is a setting at user preference where you can override the default folder.

429

Mackraken, Thanks I will give it a look.

430

Hi @Mackraken et al,

I’d like to try this add-on but I’m wondering: is the included Cycles material library up to date, or does it contain materials that were made years ago, when a lot of nodes and options weren’t available yet? In other words: has the provided material library been updated since the add-on was first published?

Thanks!

1 Like
431

Hello Mackraken,
I wish to bring to your attention the following bug report, and related solution which fixes the add-on on Blender versions 2.83.10, 2.91.0 and 2.92.0(alpha).

I applied manually the fix and it works fine.
Would you mind updating the add-on on the Blender \addons repository? Thank you.