Materials panel tools menu Materials panel tools menuThese settings also appear on right-click context menus for the thumbnail previews and the thumbnail background.
Assign to ObjectsAssigns the current material to selected objects.
Assign to Layers of ObjectsAssigns the current material to the layers of selected objects.
Assign to Layers...Assigns the current material to selected layers.
Select Object(s)Select objects that use the current material.
Create New MaterialCreates a new material from a template.
Import from Material Library...Import Material from the Render Content folder, Internet connection is required to download online.
Save to File...Saves a material to a Rhino .rmtl file.
CopyCopies the selected item to the Clipboard. The Clipboard can then be pasted into the editor to create a new item.
PasteCreates a new item based on the contents of the Clipboard.
Paste as InstanceCreates a new item based on the contents of the Clipboard that is linked to the original through instancing.
DeleteDeletes the selected item.
Reset to DefaultsChanges all of the item settings to the default.
DuplicateCreates a new item from the selected item.
Tags...Pops up the Render Content Tag dialog to manage tags. Tags group or categorize items to make searching easier.
Filter By TagsHides the items that don't have the selected tags.
Remove InstancingRemoves the connection between instanced items.
Update Preview NowUpdates the preview of the selected item when auto-update is disabled.
Floating PreviewFloats the preview image in a resizable window.
Floating EditorEdits the selected item in a separate dialog.
GridDisplays the previews as a grid of thumbnails.
ListDisplays the previews as a list of thumbnails.
TreeDisplays the previews as a tree showing nesting.
Show All MaterialsDisplays used and unused materials.
Show Only Used MaterialsHides unused materials.
Show Only Unused MaterialsHides used materials.
Horizontal LayoutDisplays the previews to the left of the controls.
Show Preview PaneDisplays the selected item in a large preview section.
TinySets the thumbnail size to the smallest size.
SmallSets the thumbnail size to the smaller size.
MediumSets the thumbnail size to medium size.
LargeSets the thumbnail size to large size.
Show LabelsDisplays thumbnail name labels when in Grid mode.
List mode always displays labels.
Show UnitsDisplays the model unit dimension of the object in the preview.
The object dimension can be changed in Preview Properties.
Auto-Update PreviewAutomatically updates all previews as settings change.
Update All PreviewsUpdate previews manually when Auto-Update Preview is off.
PropertiesOpens the Preview Properties dialog box.
Preview thumbnail images and the background area between thumbnail images both have context menus.
Specifies the shape of the object that displays the material in the preview thumbnail.
Sphere
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Pyramid
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Cube
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Torus
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Cone
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Plane
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Scene
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Sets the model unit dimension of the preview object.
Controls the appearance of the thumbnail background.
The default gray environment is used.
A gray checkered backdrop is used.
Uses an environment as the background. 
Select an existing environment or create a new one.
The list of existing environments.
Create a new environment.
Controls the right-mouse drag object or camera rotation.
Right-mouse drag rotates the object.
Right-mouse drag rotates the camera.
Sets the horizontal rotation angle for the object or camera.
Sets the vertical rotation angle for the object or camera.
Uses the default lighting.
Uses the current skylighting settings.
Saves the thumbnail properties as the default settings.
Uses the default settings.
