INSTALLATION

1. Download material_id_texture_set.zip
2. Open Blender
3. Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons
4. Click "Install" button at the top
5. Select material_id_texture_set.zip
6. Enable the checkbox next to "Material ID & Texture Set Manager"
7. The panel appears in 3D Viewport sidebar (press N if hidden) under "MatManager" tab
   
   

   GETTING STARTED

   Finding the Panel:

   1. Open Blender's 3D Viewport
   2. Press N to toggle the sidebar
   3. Look for the "MatManager" tab
   4. Click to open the Material ID & Texture Set Manager panel

   
   Interface Overview:

   • Mode Selector at top: Switch between "ID" (Material ID) and "TextureSet" modes
   • Preset Section (ID mode only): Quick-assign materials
   • Custom List: Your saved materials with color coding
   • Management Buttons: Add, Edit, Remove, Select, Sync
   • Assign Button: Apply selected material to objects
     
     

     BASIC USAGE

     Assigning Preset Materials (Material ID Mode):

     1. Select your mesh objects in the viewport
     2. Choose a preset from the dropdown (Wood, Metal, Glass, etc.)
     3. Click "Assign" next to the dropdown
     4. Material is applied with preset color

     
     Using Random Colors:

     1. Select all objects you want to color-code
     2. Click "Random" button (brush icon)
     3. Each object gets a unique random color
     4. Click again for different color combination (seed auto-increments)

     
     Creating Custom Materials:

     1. Click the + button to add a new material
     2. Enter a name (e.g., "Trim_Metal")
     3. Click the color swatch to choose a color
     4. The material appears in your list
     5. Select objects and click "Assign Selected" to apply

     
     Switching Modes:

     • Click "ID" for Material ID mode (high poly phase)
     • Click "TextureSet" for Texture Set mode (low poly phase)
     • Each mode has its own separate custom list
       
       

       EXPORT & IMPORT MATERIAL LISTS

       Why Export/Import: Share your material organization with team members, use the same setup across multiple projects, or backup your material lists before major changes.

       Exporting Your Material List:

       1. Set up your materials in Material ID or Texture Set mode
       2. Create all your custom materials with names and colors
       3. Click the "Save" button in the panel
       4. A file browser opens
       5. Choose a location and filename (e.g., "environment_materials.json")
       6. Click "Save"
       7. Your material list is now saved as a JSON file
          
          

          Importing a Material List:

          1. Click the "Load" button in the panel
          2. Browse to your saved .json file
          3. Select the file and click "Load"
          4. Your custom materials list is added to the current list
          5. All materials appear with their names and colors
             
             Blender Version: 4.5 tested and supported Blender 5.0: Not yet tested (early alpha), compatibility update coming Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux (fully cross-platform) Category: Material Management Location: View3D > Sidebar > MatManager tab File Size: ~77KB License: GPL v3 (free software, open source) Export Format: JSON (human-readable, version-control friendly)