Starting my own material library

[lacilaci]

So, guys did anyone figure how to work with connecter and materials??.. Don't know if im stupid or what but can't figure it out :D

[Juraj]

I like the drag and drop of thumbnails in Connecter, doesn't seem to be available in VMPP, adding a cumbersome step of saving and importing a screen shot.

Yes, but to compare apples and apples, you're dropping thumbnails you already have, vs importing thumbnails manually. So to make them equal, VMPP/CMPP should incorporate drag/drop. But you would still need to somehow create those thumbnails.
That could still be made somehow automatic.

PM does render thumbnails, but the quality is quite useless.

I like the drag and drop of thumbnails in Connecter, doesn't seem to be available in VMPP, adding a cumbersome step of saving and importing a screen shot.

Another thing with VMPP since you seem to use it frequently, is there a way to import existing material libraries into the user library without having to load the material into Max first?

Yes of course, just check the file structure in folders. It's regular 3dsMax .Mat libraries there.

[Benny]

So, guys did anyone figure how to work with connecter and materials??.. Don't know if im stupid or what but can't figure it out :D

I can't figure it out either, but in their help section they refer to a 3ds Max specific version, which I can't seem to locate so maybe that functionality isn't there in the regular version. It says it the 3ds Max version creates a 'Materials' folder and I don't have that.

On the other hand I also get a feeling that this was something that applied to earlier versions but that they now are integrated to one.

This kind of vague documentation is something they all seem to have in common, VMPP, Project Manager and Connecter, making it a bit worrisome to invest the time needed in building a library.

[Benny]

PM does render thumbnails, but the quality is quite useless.

That is true for materials, but I find it tremendously helpful for objects. If I have a folder with objects such as lamp.obj it is a timesaver to get a quick look.

[Benny]

Not given up yet, but the material part in Connecter is odd. I have one library called 'connecter' that has a different symbol for the folder, which I think may have something to do with materials but I just can't make sense of it. Anyone interested in sharing their experience?

I've looked elsewhere to find some forum or a discussion about Connecter, but it seems to be a well kept secret.

[Benny]

Yes of course, just check the file structure in folders. It's regular 3dsMax .Mat libraries there.

Hmm, the problem is that the categories are libraries themselves, so if I want to add something that I've already created, like a metal, I would somehow have to merge the two libraries. The only way I know how to is via Max.

[Benny]

After watching a video on youtube it appears that VMPP does not show all the thumbnails of a category when in the User Library, only the one that is currently clicked. Can anyone (Juraj?) confirm this?

[Juraj]

After watching a video on youtube it appears that VMPP does not show all the thumbnails of a category when in the User Library, only the one that is currently clicked. Can anyone (Juraj?) confirm this?

Yes that is true. Somehow the User library is different in structural GUI than the common. That could be improved now that you mention it :- )