Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 444 AutoCAD and Its Applications—Advanced Library Area The Library area of the materials browser contains the open library fi les. By default, two libraries exist when AutoCAD is installed: Favorites and Autodesk Library. The name of the current library is displayed on the Library area title bar. You can select a different library from the drop-down list on the left end of the title bar. Picking the Home icon next to the drop-down list deselects the current library and displays the available libraries in the right-hand column of the Library area. The Autodesk Library is composed of the materials installed when AutoCAD was installed and cannot be edited. Favorites can be used to collect and organize commonly used materials, as well as user defi ned materials. Favorites is empty by default, but you may add your own categories and materials to it. Custom materials are only available in the drawing in which they were created unless saved to Favorites or another user defi ned materials library. Custom materials that you create in a drawing but do not save to a materials library are called embedded materials. To expand a library in the tree view, pick the triangle next to the library name. Libraries can have categories within them. If the category contains nested categories, a triangle appears next to the name. Refer to Figure 17-2. Pick the triangle to expand the item. Categories in the Autodesk Library are organized by material type. Categories in Favorites and user defi ned libraries must be created by the user. As you make selec- tions in the tree view, the Library area title bar updates to display the name of the current item. Materials are displayed in the right-hand column and change to refl ect whatever category is selected. Picking the button on the right end of the Library area title bar opens a drop-down menu similar to the drop-down menu in the Document Materials area. The options in the Library section allow you to select which library is displayed. The view type, sort, and thumbnail size options are the same as those previously discussed for materials displayed in the Document Materials area. Picking the show/ hide button on the Library area title bar hides the tree view and changes the display to a single window displaying materials. The libraries that you assemble can be saved externally and opened in other draw- ings. The button with the folder icon at the lower-left corner of the materials browser provides options for managing materials libraries and categories: • Open Existing Library. Allows you to select a library fi le (*.adsklib) and display it in the materials browser. • Create New Library. Used to create a new library you assemble in the materials browser. Library fi les are saved with the .adsklib fi le extension. • Remove Library. Used to delete libraries from the materials browser. • Create Category. Allows you to add categories to your library. • Delete Category. Used to remove categories. • Rename. Allows you to rename libraries and categories. The Creates a new material in the document button at the bottom of the materials browser provides a useful way to create your own materials based on the standard Autodesk material types. Selecting Concrete, Metal, Plastic, etc. from the drop-down list creates a material with the default settings for that material type. The materials editor is opened for you to modify the new material to your liking. Picking the Opens/ Closes material editor button at the lower-right corner of the materials browser also opens the materials editor. Refer to Figure 17-2. NOTE NOTE You cannot rename or remove the default Autodesk libraries. Categories in the Autodesk Library cannot be renamed or removed, and you cannot add categories. Categories can be added to the Favorites library.