Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 448 AutoCAD and Its Applications—Advanced The name of the material can be changed by editing it in the text box located below the material preview. You can also rename the material using the Name text box in the Information tab. Materials created or edited in the materials editor are then added to the Document Materials area of the materials browser. The materials browser can be opened from the materials editor by picking the Opens/Closes material browser button at the bottom of the Appearance tab. Refer to Figure 17-6A. Creating and Modifying Materials Creating and Modifying Materials There are three different approaches to creating new materials. You can duplicate an existing material. You can start with an existing material type as a template. Finally, you can start with a generic material, which is like starting from scratch. To access these options, use the drop-down menu at the lower-left corner of the materials editor. New Material from an Existing Material By far the easiest way to create your own material is to start with an existing mate- rial, create a duplicate, and make any needed modifi cations. Look through the mate- rials library in the materials browser to fi nd a material that is close to what you want and add the material to the Document Materials area. Hover over the material swatch in the Document Materials area and select the pencil icon to launch the materials editor. The material selected in the Document Materials area of the materials browser is displayed in the materials editor. Pick Duplicate from the drop-down menu at the lower-left corner of the materials editor. Refer to Figure 17-6B. This creates a dupli- cate material with the same name and a sequential number. Change the name and the properties to your liking (discussed later) and close the materials editor. The new material is in the Document Materials area of the materials browser ready to use. New Material Using an Existing Material Type Another way to create a material is by using a material type as a template for your new material. Using the drop-down menu at the lower-left corner of the mate- rials editor, select one of the material types under the New using type: option. Refer to Figure 17-6B. The material type provides certain default settings as a starting point. The following sections discuss the material types, their possible applications, and any special properties the material type may have. PROFESSIONAL TIP PROFESSIONAL TIP Often, a material type can be used for a material that is completely unrelated to the name of the material type. For example, the concrete material type may actually serve well for dirt or sand. Be creative and do not limit yourself to what is implied by the name of the material type. Ceramic The ceramic material type is designed for ceramic fl oors. However, this mate- rial type may serve well for other glossy surfaces, such as countertops, bathtubs, or dinnerware. The Type property can be Ceramic or Porcelain. The Finish property can be High Gloss/Glazed, Satin, or Matte. The Finish Bumps category contains a Type property that can be Wavy or Custom. The Relief Pattern category contains an Image property. The image determines the relief pattern. The Tint category contains a Tint Color prop- erty that allows you to assign a tint color defi ned by its hue and saturation value mixed with white. This property is also available in the other material types.