Adding New Materials into the Material Database

Owned by Gereon Czerny (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Nov 12, 2024 by Dominik Lindenberger
3 min read

This detailed guide will demonstrate how to add new materials to the database, especially when the desired material is either unavailable or listed under a different name.


Step 1: Access the Admin Panel

Append "/admin" to the URL after the ".com" to access the admin panel.

Step 2: Locate the "Products" Section

Scroll down to the end of the page until you spot the “Products” header.

Step 3: Initiate the Addition of New Material

Once you're in the "Products" section, look for the button labeled "Add Product" in the top right corner.

Step 4: Start Configuration

You are now ready to begin configuring your new material. First, you'll be asked for the following:

  • Title: This can be provided in multiple languages, and the slug will auto-generate, so you don't have to manually create it. Please note, the slug must be a unique value and so may need to be manually edited if the same slug is already in use elsewhere.

  • Category: You'll see a dropdown menu with numerous options.

If you select "Plastic," "Composite," "Ceramic," "Metal," or "Other" without the “> x” suffix, it won't work as these are mere headers for the subcategories. So, always pick something like "Other > Wood," for example.


Step 5: Input Basic Properties

It's imperative to fill out the following sections: Technology, Material Form, Minimum wall thickness (critical), and Minimum wall thickness (optimal) as otherwise the printability analysis of uploaded 3d files won’t work properly.

Here's a quick rundown of the sections from top to bottom:

  • Is Multicolor: This feature is currently non-functional.

  • Tradename: This is an internal datapoint, not disclosed to the customer.

  • Is Colorable: Check this box if the material can undergo coloring post-processing.

  • Internal Identifier: This information is for internal use only.

  • Internal 3yd Comment: This information is also for internal use.

  • Material Form: Choose from Powder, Liquid, Filament, or Other, depending on the material you're configuring.

  • Critical and Optimal Wall Thickness: These settings determine how the part will be displayed in the part viewer when this material is selected.

  • Minimum Gap (Critical and Optimal): These options currently serve no function.

  • Detail Richness: Here, you can set the detail level from 1 to 100. This attribute will be visible to the customer in the advanced comparison within the user panel.

  • Popularity: This setting determines how high or low the material appears in the user panel when not sorted alphabetically.

 

Step 6: Define Material Properties

Finally, you will need to fill out the Material Properties. The options here are self-explanatory and can be found in the advanced comparison in the user panel, just like the Detail Richness attribute.