Chief Architect comes with a large selection of materials available to you in
the library.
Additional materials can be downloaded from the 3D library and the Chief
Architect website. For a truly individualized plan,
create custom materials by importing texture images,
or making copies of existing materials and editing them.
These techniques will give you unlimited options for your design plans.
To begin, open the library browser.
You can create custom materials by importing an image file.
To begin the import process, right-click on the user catalog,
click on new,
then material to open the define material dialog.
Name the material, then go to the texture panel,
and find the texture file by browsing to the image on your computer.
Let's make a custom stone material. Choose the image and click open.
Notice that in the preview panel, your image repeats in a scalable pattern.
This is the length and width of the image as it repeats across the object,
and is an important detail to adjust when creating custom fabric,
tile backsplashes, or wallpaper.
There is also an option to stretch an image across an entire surface.
To do so, check the box stretch to fit.
This option is valuable when importing images for use as artwork in your
designs. This is a large natural stone segment that does not repeat.
So let's place a check mark in the box. Once you click OK,
the new material now displays in the user catalog. Select it,
then click on the object to update its material.
Set the scoping to floor so that all matching materials on this floor of the
hotel will update with this new stone.
Other floors in the plan will remain unaffected.
Create a custom material by copying an existing material from the library.
Browse for a material in the library.
Right-click on the material name and click copy.
Scroll down to the user catalog.
Right-click on the user catalog and click paste.
The copied material now appears in the user catalog.
To customize the material, right-click and select open object.
This will open the define material dialog where you can adjust the material.
First, rename the material. Under the pattern tab,
make adjustments for how the material pattern will appear in the floor plan,
technical, or rendering views with lines on top.
If you make any changes to the pattern,
be sure to review the texture to make sure they match appropriately.
Once they correlate to each other,
click the box next to keep pattern and texture in sync.
Doing so means that adjustments made to the pattern will automatically update
the texture, and vice versa. Adjust the color of this material.
Click the material color box. This opens the select color dialog.
Choose white. Click OK. Under pattern,
choose a pattern type to reflect how the material will appear in the floor plan
view. Because this is tile flooring, select the grid.
Under scale,
adjustments can be made to accurately represent the custom flooring you are creating.
We are making large custom 80 by 80 inch tile sections.
Set the scale to reflect this. Under the offset and angle section,
you can rotate the direction of the pattern.
Set the angle to 45 degrees.
Doing so will change the angle of the material in both plan and 3D views.
The change will be reflected in the preview panel. In the texture panel,
check the box to blend with texture.
A checkmark here will update the color of the tile flooring without eliminating
the texture or pattern. In the properties panel,
further adjustments can be made for how shiny the floor will appear using some
rendering techniques like physically based render.
Transparency adjusts materials opacity.
The higher the percentage, the more transparent the material will become.
Emissivity adjusts the light a material gives off.
A small percentage will slightly brighten an object,
while a higher percentage will create a glowing effect like a light bulb.
When you are satisfied with the adjustments you have made to the material,
click OK to lock them in. The material will update in your preview panel.
Select it by clicking on the preview image which will activate the material
painter. You will notice the active toolbar has updated. Here,
you can choose how the material painter works.
Room mode updates all matching floors in the room.
Since I plan to change all the floors in this room to the custom tile,
I will choose room mode.
Click on the floor in the plan to apply the custom material.
In 3D views,
customize materials with the adjust material definition tool.
It is important to remember that all matching materials in the plan will change
when you edit with this tool.
If changing matching materials in other areas of the plan is a concern,
it is best to make edits to a copy of the material.
Click the adjust material definition tool button in the upper toolbar.
Click on the material that you plan to customize.
Let's change the upholstery fabric of the sofas in the lobby.
Click on one of the sofas, select the new color,
be sure to check blend with texture in the texture panel,
and click OK to see the changes reflected in the 3D view. To learn more,
please see the built-in help menu and our support articles available on the
website. And thanks for watching!