New Material - Default Type

[tcoursey]

Can you change somewhere what the DEFAULT type of material when you press Q is? I do not use the new system and would like a different default type to be applied.

Or at bare minimum, be able to change the TYPE of material without the default color being changed...

As it is, the default material is applied, I select color in Q dialog. Then in surface editor I change the TYPE and the color goes back to gray! It's not a great workflow for people not using the new rendering system...

[jwiede]

Obviously, it'd be nice if all such defaults could be persistently user-adjustable.

As always, best to file a feature request using the Feedback Agent.

[BeeVee]

I suppose it's normal that the colour would not be preserved if you change material since it is something entered *in* the material, rather than exterior to it that can be switched to a different material. If you switch the material back to the original, which should be PBSDF, you can Ctrl-RMB click on the swatch, switch the material to whatever you want to use and use Alt-RMB click to paste the colour into the new material.

B

[jwiede]

I suppose it's normal that the colour would not be preserved if you change material since it is something entered *in* the material, rather than exterior to it that can be switched to a different material. If you switch the material back to the original, which should be PBSDF, you can Ctrl-RMB click on the swatch, switch the material to whatever you want to use and use Alt-RMB click to paste the colour into the new material.

There's a solid argument the issue is (at least in part) due to the "Change Surface" panel's focus being on surface creation when it's focus really should be on surface assignment. Surface creation should ostensibly be the focus of the "Surface Editor" panel.

[BeeVee]

Back in simpler days, the division didn't need to be so clear - there was only one material. Now, there are plenty but there still needs to be one assigned - you can't just say "This selection of polygons is a surface" without saying what that surface is.

B

[jwiede]

you can't just say "This selection of polygons is a surface" without saying what that surface is.

Not quite what I was suggesting. My point was that right now, the "Change Surface" panel is focused a bit too much around creating new surfaces. Perhaps it makes more sense just to focus it on giving superior ability to select from existing surfaces -- maybe even any surfaces present app-wide? maybe allowing more elaborate surface filtering?

If user insists on creating a new surface, just have a "New..." button (in "Change Surface" panel) bring up "Surface Editor" panel, make it active, then user can create new surface in there. Then, as needed, update the surface list to allow selecting the newly-created surface, so that when user switches back to "Change Surface" panel they can select newly-created surface (maybe even auto-select new surface if update causes one to appear).

Hopefully that makes my suggestion a bit clearer -- such approach could allow "Change Surface" panel to focus more on selection over creation.