Materials edititing

[GDBranch]

I've searched the forum and found Werteditor but for the life of me I can not find alibre_unicode.mtl ANYWHERE on my PC.
I have run a windows explorer search with the only results being:
"C:\ProgramData\Alibre Design\System Files\alibre_unicode_sample.mtl"

Would someone please help.

Height weight and horsepower of my system:
Windows 7 Profesional
Alibre Design Version:[ PRODUCTVERSION 14,0,2,14052 ] 32-bit

I'm trying to set up a new Windows 7 system with the latest Alibre software and spending far too much time
tinkering with this problem and not creating designs.

 

[DavidJ]

Look inside the example file that you found - it gives instructions for creating a custom materials definition file at the top of the page.

Basically add materials following the layout of the examples, then save file as the name given in the instructions.

This is a new set up for v2012. In some wasys it is a pain - BUT it removes the problem of edited materials/threads/lines files getting overwritten each time Alibre is updated.

 

[depasquale]

I too am unable to find this file, where exactly does alibre place this file?

 

[DavidJ]

GDBranch has listed the file location of the EXAMPLE file in his post. Depending upon which version of Windows you have it may be in a different location. In WinXP it is typically in this folder
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Alibre Design\System Files

As mentioned above - there are instructions in the EXAMPLE file for creating a custom materials file, which you should save in the same folder as the EXAMPLE file.

 

[Lew_Merrick]

I've searched the forum and found Werteditor but for the life of me I can not find alibre_unicode.mtl ANYWHERE on my PC.
I have run a windows explorer search with the only results being:
"C:\ProgramData\Alibre Design\System Files\alibre_unicode_sample.mtl"

The C:\Program Data folder is a hidden folder by default. You have to turn on View hidden folders in your Windows Explorer definitions tab. When you find that area, you edit the [/i]alibre_unicode_sample.mtl[/i] and Save As alibre_unicode_custom.mtl. Does that help?

Diatribe: The new to V12 system of internalizing materials properties, line types, & hatch patterns is a mistake! I (mostly) work in the universe where 1/4-20 is not an acceptable definition of a tapped hole or external thread. The tapped hole would be designated as .2500-20UNC-xB (where "x" is the fit class) and an external thread would be designated as .2500-20UNC-xA. I have to scroll through the entire list of canned designations to reach the ones that are proper for my use -- which is a PITA! The "issue" of overwriting such files is easily solved by creating a backup sub-folder off of the System Files folder. Flexibility and user control are absolutely key!

Taking it a step further, it would be nice were Alibre to allow us to load different configuration/data files for these types of things. Thus, I might have mil_std.thd as one threads data list and general.thd as another (etc.). Were this expanded further, we could (dream on) have different control files for countersinks & counterbores for the hole wizard to draw from (ANSI counterbores are different from traditional counterbores -- and JIC counterbores differ from DIN counterbores, etc.). Being able to have the user select the standards to which they work fall in the Good Thing category!

 

[GDBranch]

Thank you for the help.