Using the Find Similar Material Tool

You can use the Find Similar Material tool to perform material searches such as “Show me all materials with a greater strength but a lower density” or “Show me similar materials that have a greater shear modulus.”

1. In the Sustainability Task Pane, under Material, click Find Similar.
   The Find Similar Material dialog box appears with the properties of the original material shown as the top row.
   
   

   The properties listed depend on the material.

2. In the center section, enter the search criteria for the similar materials.
   
   For example, for Density, select < in Condition to find all similar materials with a density less than the original material.
   To change the search criteria, click Edit and modify the settings.
3. Click Find Similar next to the search criteria.
   Similar materials based on your settings are listed with their properties. The order depends on the criteria you selected, with items sorted by their proximity to the target values.

   To filter the list, select the check box to the left of the Materials list and click Show selected only .
4. Click anywhere in the rows of similar materials to view their environmental impact compared to the original material.
   
   

   In the dialog box's Environmental Impact dashboard, the Selected bar for each impact area indicates whether the material has more or less environmental impact than the Original material. The pie charts are also updated.

   Below the pie charts, a pair of Selected / Original bars indicates the change in the Material Financial Impact.

5. Use the drop-down lists to the right of the pie charts if you want to modify the Manufacturing Process or change the Units that are displayed.
6. When you decide on the material to use, click Accept.
   The selected material populates the Material section of the Sustainability Task Pane and the dialog box closes.