Adding New Materials into the Material Database

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).

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.