Scene Materials dialog includes the material functions shown in the image below. Some of these functions are included in the Material task bar, others are found only in this dialog.
Add Material; adds a new default material to the list.The new material with all of its properties will be shown in the Properties Panel of the application Interface.
Delete Material; deletes the selected material, from the list. In case the material is being used by objects in the scene, a dialog will appear asking the user to select a replacement material before the deletion.
Delete Unused Materials; Deletes all materials not referenced by any object in the scene. This function is also found in the Scene Materials dialog.
Select Objects Using Material; This function selects all objects, in the scene using the selected material in the Scene Materials dialog. These objects-geometry will be highlighted in the Object Tree, and in the 3D area.
Apply Material To Selected Objects; to use this function the user should select object(s) first, then select a material from the Scene Materials dialog or the from the Material library. After that he can click this function button and the selected material will be applied to the selected objects.
Merge Identical Materials; in cases where more than one object in the 3D scene is using the same material, different copies of that material will appear in the Scene Materials window. This function cleans the materials dialog from unnecessary duplicates.
Change View; this display option is available for the user to change the way the materials are displayed, in the Scene Materials dialog. They can be displayed in Large, or Small icons, or can be shown as a list.
Sort by Name/Sort by Attributes; two options for sorting the Scene Materials are available for the user.
Save as Library
After applying all materials for all geometry in a 3D scene, clicking this function will display the New Material Library window. In this window the user can input a name for the new library then click Ok. This will save the applied scene materials in a library, and it will be shown in the Current Library combo-box, and in the Manage Material Libraries panel.
Retain from Library
Before clicking this function button the user should first select the library to use, in the Current Library combo-box. This function will reapply materials included in the selected library to the different geometry based on previously assigned materials names.
