Materialdefinition

Materialdefinition refers to the set of properties and specifications that define a material within a system or process. It is used across disciplines such as materials science, manufacturing, and digital media to enable consistent use, procurement, and representation.

In materials science and engineering, a materialdefinition includes chemical composition, microstructure, and property sets. These properties cover mechanical (strength, ductility), thermal (conductivity, expansion coefficient), electrical, and chemical stability. The definition may also specify processing history, heat treatments, tolerances, and safety classifications, often aligned with relevant standards. Versioning and provenance are commonly tracked to reflect changes over time.

In manufacturing and product data management, the materialdefinition is a data record that links the material to suppliers, part numbers, lot tracking, regulatory compliance, cost, and availability. It supports bills of materials, purchasing workflows, and quality control. Maintaining a consistent definition across systems helps ensure traceability and repeatability in production, with revisions capturing updates to properties or specifications.

In computer graphics and media, a materialdefinition defines how a surface interacts with light. It includes color, texture maps, reflectivity, roughness, transparency, and shading models. File formats and engine-specific metadata store these definitions to achieve consistent rendering across modeling tools, simulation environments, and real-time engines.

Interoperability and standards play a key role, as various data models and formats encode materialdefinitions for cross-system use. Common properties typically include density, melting or glass transition points, mechanical strengths, refractive index, and supplier or lot information. The term thus spans physical characterization, manufacturing workflows, and digital representation.