I expect “Asset manager” will come with blender 2.8 in near future. Though I can not imagine how it will be, but I can imagine what we can do with new asset manager.Then one thing I really hope to see with blender 2.8.(asset manager) , which I have hoped , but I have thought there seems no way to achive it with current blender 2.7.
It is “one click” solution, to save current “all active materials” (of each material-slot) of Object, as one “Material-sets” then apply , exchange , full appearance of Object.
You can use any Object, what I mean here. eg your favorite “Character”, " Car", “House”, or simple 6 dice,whch use 6 different material-slot.
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then you can save many material-set ,once you finish your work about the object, by one click,
then re-apply it when you hope so.
I know, I can easy swap each material, or can save many materials as “Fake” user then can use the blend file,
as material library. or I can use “Copy material to others” ,but we need same objects witch have same material-slots hieralchy for each “material-sets”
I hope to save all material-sets of one OBJ,with clear name (and simple render pic)
and re-apply it as “material-sets”. as same as we exchange HDRI image, or we exchange “material” for any material-slots.
My request is expanding to save and apply material.
from save material (per- material slot) to save material-set (per obj which keep same slot hieralchy).
You may feel, why it is important?
When we set material, it need to work with each slot ( I like learning shader, or try 3d paint etc) .
it is OK, even though the Object have “15 slots” I do it. (maybe we can make multi material at once,
if some slots use same UV parts. after that, I may edit each slots if I hope so, with shader nodes, or use different texture, may divide current material-slots as 2 etc, more easy tweaking.
(eg hand and nail use same UV part, we may use same texture, and same shader nodes, at current,
but if we divide it as 2 slots, we can easy change nail only, later.)
I hope, once I set them correctly with use huge time, I just keep it as one-sets. not hope to save each material separately. because it is really annoying, to re-apply them one by one. after I change them.
Hope I make one-sets, save it with name.then, make another one-sets, save it with another name.
then apply it as I need by one-click. Do not you think if we can do it, there are huge improvement,
to manage your made object? and if there is one good object with well desgined material-slot,
we may use same obj (and lsots), but change materials,and make new good material-sets.
and easy up-load for other users?
And it simply joyful, if we can easy change full appearance as one click.from assets(material-sets) library of the Object.