Tree Hierarchy and Material Details

The main interface in the Material Palette is a hierarchical display of the materials available to you in the database. You can also select an individual material to display more information about its properties and simulation behaviors.

This page discusses:

See Also
Assigning a Material to a Model

Tree

The tree organizes material data into top-level categories, and you can expand any category to display more specific subcategories and the individual materials in them. The topmost category in the tree typically describes the material type, and the first subcategory describes the material family. Thus, one database might have a tree hierarchy that organizes materials by Covering Material and Core Material, then by details like Aluminum Alloys or Plastic Injection Materials.

You can apply any material in the tree to a region of your model. Right-click its name, select Apply, and click the region in the viewport.

Material Details

If you click a material, the Material Palette displays more information about that material. Two types of material information are available for display:

  • Properties: PLM-level information about the material, such as its type, family, creation and modification dates, and owner.
  • Simulation: If the selected material has simulation behaviors defined, the Simulation tab displays the material's density, Young's Modulus, Poisson's Ratio, Thermal Conductivity, Plasticity, Thermal Expansion, and Specific Heat. Each behavior is displayed in its own expandable section.

The details window also includes a breadcrumb trail that indicates where the selected material or category resides in the tree. You can click any of the items listed in the breadcrumb trail to switch the view to the item you select.

You can apply the displayed material to a region of your model. Right-click anywhere in the page, then select Apply from the menu that appears and clicking the region in the 3D area.

Two-paneled Display

If you resize the Material Palette to a sufficient width, it switches to a two-paneled structure with the tree on the left side and a detail view on the right. You can click items in the tree to view more information about them in the detail view. When you click a folder in the tree, its child folders or its materials are displayed in the details. If you click an individual material, the dialog box shows its material data in the details.