Can’t Edit Applied Material – “Materials must be applied…” Message

SketchUp
1

Hi everyone,

I’m running into a problem in SketchUp 2025. When I try to edit a material that I just applied to a face, I get this popup:

“Materials must be applied to the model before they can be edited.”

Here’s a screenshot:

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The weird part:

  • The texture is visible on the face.

  • But when I go to the Colors / Materials window and try to edit it (I’m trying to use photorealistic environments and materials), it doesn’t let me.

Things I’ve already tried:

  • Selecting the face before opening the editor → same error.

  • Applying the material again → same error.

  • Going to the Edit tab directly → grayed out.

I just want to edit the material that’s already applied (change opacity, scale, etc.) without constantly running into this popup.

Question:

How can I correctly edit the material that’s already applied to a surface in my model?

Thanks a lot in advance!

2

Switch to the In Model colors by clicking on the house icon or selecting it from the dropbown list. Then highlight the material you want to edit and click on Edit.

1 Like
3

I will try it now. also @DaveR Im running into troubles, I lost my default materials in Metal. I was playing with it, I entered 3D warehouse material, downloaded a metal one, got it, used it. this new material was not added to the Materials window. so I went back to 3D warehouse and downloaded another one, now when the download finishes, I didn’t get the new material on my cursor like before to use it ! then I tried bunch, no result. I reopened SketchUp, then I found just those materials i’ve been selecting and not seeing in my library of metals. the others disappeared. I should also say, that I played also with open to model library and new material

4

New materials you download from the 3D Warehouse nor ones you create yourself will be automatically added to collections. You have to do that yourself. They will only be in your In Model materials.

5

@DaveR I found them they are here, consider me a baby in sketchUp, sorry

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6

As I told you, they would only be in the current model. You can save your Colors in Model as a new collection if you want. Or save the space on your computer and just get them as you need them from the Warehouse.

1 Like
7

Yes @DaveR That was my initial intention, then I got lost somehow. Thank you for saving me hours of ChatGPT.

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10

For your interest, forcing you to switch to Colors in Model was a relatively recent change (2024 I think). Previously you could make changes while looking at the current list, but there were two problems. The changes you made were not remembered when you saved, and in some cases you could get a crash.

The easy solution was to ask you to switch to the Colors in Model before making changes. Then the changes are saved ok, and there was no crashing.