In PLAXIS, project materials such as soil, interfaces, discontinuities, plates, geogrids, embedded beams, cables and anchors are often reused across multiple project files. This is particularly useful when analysing alternatives or working on models located near each other.

In earlier versions, the global material database was used to share materials between projects. However, with the introduction of PLAXIS 2024.2, a new feature allows users to directly load material datasets from existing PLAXIS projects. This enhancement simplifies material reuse, making workflows more efficient and user-friendly.

Methods to reuse materials from other projects:

• Creating a new global material database- Set up a new global material database to store and manage material datasets specific to a group of projects. 
• Adding existing material data sets to the global material database- Transfer material datasets from a project to the global database for easy reuse across multiple files. 
• Changing the Global Material Database of a Project- Modify the existing global material database to include materials needed for the current project. 
• Loading material data sets from a PLAXIS Project- Directly import material datasets from an existing PLAXIS project file into the current project. 
• By using the command line- Using the command line to add material data sets from one PLAXIS project to another.

 

Create a new global material database

The steps to create a new global material database are explained below:

• Start a new project in PLAXIS.
• Open the material sets window and click on Show other sources.

• Click on Select… to open the window of the global material database file location.

• Browse to the location where you want to store the new global material database file (this can be a local or network location).
• Create a new folder and give it an appropriate name (e.g., Global Material).
• Specify a filename for the new database, such as ProjectSoilMaterials.matXdb.

• At this point, the global material database (e.g., for soil and interfaces) will be updated, and the list of global materials should appear empty as shown in figure below.

 

Adding existing material data sets to the global material database

The steps to add existing materials to this global material database are as follows:

• Open a PLAXIS project which includes the material data set(s).
• Ensure that the new global material database is selected (refer to the previous procedure to verify this).

 

• Use one of the following methods to copy individual or all datasets from the local project material database (Project Materials) to the global material database file (External Materials):

1. Click the button to copy the selected material dataset from the project material database to the global database.
2. Click the button to copy all material data sets from the project material database to the global material database as shown below.

 

Changing the global material database

The steps to change the global material database are explained below:

• Start a new project in PLAXIS (or load an existing project).
• Navigate to the Material Sets window and click on Show other sources.
• Click Select… to change the current global material database file.
• Browse to the location of the global material database and confirm your selection.

• Select the global material file (*.matXdb), e.g. Sands_only.matXdb and click on Open.

• To modify a material data set:
  1. First, move it to the local database (Project materials). This can be done using either the drag-and-drop feature or the copy button
  2. Then after making the necessary changes in the local database, update the material data set in the global database file

 

Loading material data sets from a PLAXIS project

With the release of 2024.2 a new functionality is added to load existing materials from a PLAXIS project. To do so follow these steps:

• Start a new project in PLAXIS.
• Open the Material sets window and expand the Show other sources.
• Click on the combo box and a dropdown menu appears. Choose PLAXIS File from the available options, which allows you to load materials from a PLAXIS file.

• Click Select… to navigate to an existing PLAXIS project.
• Choose the desired PLAXIS project file and click Open. The material set will now be loaded into the External Materials window as shown below.

• Once the material is loaded, transfer it to the Project Materials window using one of the following methods:

1. Drag and drop the material directly.
2. Use the Copy button to add the material.

 

By using the command line

To easily create the commands for all materials in the currently open PLAXIS model, follow these steps: 

• Use the following command to generate material commands for the currently open PLAXIS model:
  

  apply Materials "materialcommand"

• Copy the generated material commands.
• Start a new project or open the PLAXIS project where you want to add the materials.
• Navigate to the  Expert menu and click on Run commands…
• Paste the copied material commands into the clipboard.
• For each line, edit the line by removing the colon and the text preceding it. Ensure that each line starts with the appropriate material command, e.g. soilmat for soil materials;
• Now run all the commands to add the materials to your PLAXIS model.

See the video below for more details on this workflow:

Note: When copying a material between the local and global databases in PLAXIS, a pop-up notification appears if the material already exists in the target database. The user can then choose to overwrite the existing material or assign a new name.