Installation

1. Download the ap_material_manager.zip file.
2. Do not extract the archive.
3. Open Blender.
4. Install the extension using either method:

Drag and Drop

Drag the downloaded .zip file directly into the Blender window and confirm the installation.

Install from Disk

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Get Extensions.
2. Open the menu in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Install from Disk.
4. Choose the downloaded .zip file.

After installation, confirm that AP Material Manager is enabled.

Opening Material Manager

You can open Material Manager in any of the following ways:

• Open the 3D Viewport Sidebar with N and select the Material Manager tab.
• Go to Window > Toggle Material Manager Sidebar.
• Use the default shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + M.

The shortcut can be customized in the add-on preferences. The currently assigned shortcut is also displayed next to the command in the Window menu.

Quick Start

1. Open the Material Manager tab in the 3D Viewport Sidebar.
2. Use Search, Sort, and Filter to find the required material.
3. Click the checkmark next to a material to assign it to selected objects or faces.
4. Use the object or face selection buttons to locate material users.
5. Expand Replace, Batch Rename, or Material Library when additional tools are needed.
6. Expand Textures to browse and preview all images in the project or only those used by the selected material. Use search and filters to find missing or unused textures.
7. Use Find Missing to restore broken texture paths, or open a texture’s actions to relink, reload, pack, or unpack it.
8. Before saving materials to the library, we recommend choosing an external Material Library Folder in the add-on preferences. Materials saved to the default library folder will be deleted when the add-on is uninstalled. An external library will remain on your computer.
9. Use the cleanup tools to remove unused materials and images, merge duplicate datablocks, and clean empty material slots.
10. To browse Blender Asset Libraries inside Material Manager, enable Show Material Asset Browser in Addon Preferences and expand Material Asset Browser. Use the checkmark to append and assign a material, or the chain button to link it.

Preferences

Open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons, find AP | Material Manager, and expand its settings.

Available options:

• Default Material Name - Set the default name for newly created materials
• Material Library Folder - Choose where the personal material library is stored
• Reset Path to Default - Restore the default Material Library location
• Copy Bundled Materials - Copy the included materials into the selected library
• Show Preview Swatches - Show or hide Viewport Display Color swatches in the material list
• Combine Selection Buttons - Combine the object and face selection buttons into one. Click to select objects using the material; Ctrl-click to select faces to which the material is assigned
• Hotkey - Customize the shortcut used to open Material Manager
• Show Material Library - Show or hide the add-on’s personal Material Library and the Save Material button
• Show Material Asset Browser - Show or hide the browser for materials from configured Blender Asset Libraries. It is disabled by default