Materials drive the look and feel, and corresponding emotional appeal of products remarkably. 

E.g. we start with a typical CAD model, plain and simple engineering appearance. 

By simply assigning materials, the same jigsaw dresses up instantly with attractive vibe and value propositions. 

Fortunately, we can all create intuitive visuals simply in software such as 3DEXCITE Product Communicator xHighlight 

There are multiple ways to assign materials. 

First, you may click on a part and assign a new material as shown below. 

It'll lead you to the library with rich selections. With the search box and attributes, you can narrow it down to your target quickly. 

The big thumbnails on the right gives intuitive previews to ease your selections. 

Once you are ready to apply one, easily drag it to go back to your production and drop it. Or click the Ok button at the bottom right corner of the search result. 

Essentially, this action carries out two results: bring this general library material to your personal production, and apply it to the desired part. 

Once a material lives in your own production, you'll see it listed on the Materials panel on the left. 

Now on your local model, if you click on a part in the viewport, its active material will be highlighted with a light blue ribbon at the corner on the Materials panel. 

Now if you click on a different material on the panel, the part will carry the new material, such as this orange DSPBR plastic. 

Easy, right? 

Try it out yourself: render and enjoy the beautiful visuals! 

Here is the workflow in a video