Delivered in the Smart Review folder when you install the Photo-Realism module, the SPRDefault.pal file contains
a material definition named default. The default material in this file can be used to specify the default material properties
of objects without assigned materials. The delivered default material has the look
of non-reflective shiny plastic. This palette file is a standard palette file and
can be used as such. It also can be edited using a text editor outside Smart Review or by using the Edit Materials functionality.
You can now have a common SPRDefault.pal file to set the default material properties
for all of your projects. You also can place a different SPRDefault.pal file in different
project folders and each of those projects could have different default materials.
To use this functionality, you must install the Photo-Realism module.
Because the Smart Review folder is not included in your default palette search path, you must copy or move
the SPRDefault.pal file to your project folder or to a folder in your palette search
path before you can use the SPRDefault.pal file. If you do not want to use this file,
rename it (or its default material) or remove it from the palette search path. For more information, see Search Path Dialog Box.
If you do not have the Photo-Realism module, if the SPRDefault.pal file is not found
in the current palette search path, or if this file does not contain a material named
default, then Smart Review uses the default material for objects without assigned materials. The default material
for graphic objects without assigned materials is set only when the project is opened
or when you remove a material for that object. Thus, if you edit the SPRDefault.pal
file and its default material during a Smart Review session, you should not expect to see all the graphic elements without assigned materials to immediately update. You must either reopen the project
or manually remove materials for each graphic element.
If you have the SPRDefault.pal file in the current palette search path and it contains
a material named default, then those settings, except for color, are used for the default material.
The graphic object default color is always retained, regardless of the color specified
in the default material in the SPRDefault.pal file. However, if you assign this default
material to graphic objects, then its color overrides the graphic object's default
color.
The Photo-Realism renderer uses the same default material properties as the shaded
view. This means that the rendering of objects with default materials assigned to them looks like a "smoother" version
of a fully shaded view.
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The default material is not an assigned material. For example, you receive a message
stating No material assignment exists for this element if you pick a graphic object without an assigned material and then try to view that
object's material assignment in the Assign Materials to Elements dialog box.
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The software does not prompt you to modify your palette search path if the SPRDefault.pal
file is not found while setting the default material.
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Using this SPRDefault.pal file mechanism can add a slight overhead to the total project
load time.