Hi profs!
I’m using FlashDevelop with away3d 4.0.9 gold and Prefab 2.131.
With 3DS Max I created a helicopter with 8 tanks and exported it with the AWD exporter for Max.
Next step I imported it into Prefab3D and exported it in AWD2 format. The export file was copied to my assets folder of the flash project.

When nothing was changed with Prefab3D I am able to click on a button and the mesh named “Tank1” changed its alpha value.

But then I worked with Prefab3D and assigned one and the same material to every tank. I exported it again as AWD2 and started
my flash project.

And now - if clicking the button - Tank1 changed its alpha value. But also Tank2 and Tank3 and…
That means, if I use Prefab3D and assign the same material to different objects, it doesn’t matter which single mesh I want to change. All meshes will be changed. Is it a bug or wanted?? And is it a away3d-wanted or a Prefab-wanted??
Thanks for any hint.

If you define one material, every changes you make affect all the meshes having this material. There is a duplicate material btn in material panel if you need it.
If you have a material with same maps, I would recommand share the texture and make materials reusing this texture. This is something that you will have to code as its not supported within Prefab.

Thanks for your answer.
But in my eyes it makes no sense if I have lots of same objects which all have to have the same material - if I say I have to change a value of object1 that the value also changes for object2.

Example:
Small american village. You follow the street. Every house of that street looks equal - white with a black roof.
Now stopping in front of house3 you want to take a quick look through the wall. What happened? You have a look through all houses.
I guess that’s nothing anyone can use.

The logic behind materials is directly linked to the way GPU’s like to have their data served. So I wouldn’t say it makes no sens.

I do not see where the problem is…
say you have one material for all your buildings, and one for the highlighted/selected buildings(no set). You simply swap the materials when you need a given mesh to have a the transparancy. Once you no longer need the highlight, simply set back the shared material.

OH, now I understand!
I create one material which will have an alpha value 0.1
All stuff in my scene will have its own material. If I want to show a transparency I simply change the material of the object and not the alpha value of the mesh. That’s easy.
Thank you very much. You’re a star.

eureka