In FreeCAD FEM we have implemented the export and import of materials, and the use of user defined material folders. This should not be in FEM.
How about the following ...
We gone split the material locations in material library and material app. The folder where the folders are ATM will be the material library (folder name does not need to change). The library could not only contain this folder, it could contain more resources. May be a user defined folder, may be a data base in the Internet ... There could be thousands of materials in all material library folders, even hundreds of duplicates. This dos not matter because, this folder can not be accessed directly from inside FreeCAD Gui if the user would like to choose a material in a workbench. There will be another new folder material app. The user needs to take care which materials he will copy from material library into material app. This folder material app will be accessed from within FreeCAD. We gone make sure in this folder are no duplicates. All the library and user defined folders and material editing will be in the materials library. In material app there are just the copies the user copies over.
How does that sounds ?
yorik wrote: ...