instanced material node groups

[andy.engelkemier]

Multi materials are great. But you can't apply different materials to different object without copying and pasting a copy to the other objects. It's a nice way to store multiple options for a material in your material library, but that makes your file pretty messy pretty quick. And if you make an adjustment to a color on one of the materials in the multi-material, it doesn't effect the copies, so if you've made a subtle adjustment to a material, then you end up switching another object to that same material in a multimaterial, you might not notice that it's not the same until after you've rendered. That's never fun.

But the biggest reason I want this is labels. I currently have 18 labels to put on the same material, and most of those are on different parts. Some of them need cylindrical map for the label, so I can't use Model as the method or the label ends up being applied to other objects with the same material.
So I'm stuck with making a new material for every material that I need to put the label on, selecting Part as the texture option.
So I'll have around 18 copies of the same material, with a different label applied.

When someone decides they want to see a different color version, or a different Mold-Tech bump, I now have to change 18 materials.
Wouldn't it be nice if I could group some nodes together and check a box saying "link group" or something like that? I'm not too concerned on how it is implemented as far as UI, but please let me instance the same nodes in other materials. That way I could have 18 different materials, but I could instance the surface materials so that if I change any one of them, they all change.

This would also allow you to use the same textures/masks between different materials and know that they are linked. This is especially important when you have lots of Model Sets and Studios a ton of materials for your project.

And I'm aware of the "Sync" texture option. That's not at all what I'm after. I'm not even sure what it does because the manual gives you no more information that you would guess. What does it sync? The actual texture map? The mapping? just the size? I don't know because how I work it always breaks, so telling me that the textures are kept in sync doesn't really give me any information. Sorry, whoever writes the manual, but that's really just basically this: "Fold it in David! Just Fold it in"

[INNEO_MWo]

If you need a visible sync feature, the the utility node 2D mapping would help. Also some of your wishes might be done within studios?!?


May we create some solutions with an example? May you share some?


CheerEO
Marco