The size of the part and the relative cost of the selected material combine to determine the material cost.
To view the material cost information, click . The Alerts panel on the same panel will define any material cost alerts.
Select the Material cost icon from either the Alert 
or Information 
tab. A dialog appears displaying the material cost rating and the basis of that rating.
or Information tab. A dialog appears displaying the material cost rating and the basis of that rating. Note: Any unspecified plastic material is assumed to be polypropylene. Either specify the material in the CAD package prior to importing the part, or use the Select Material option.
Material cost information
- Part's size
- The size and volume of a part along with the number of injection locations, are used to determine the amount of material required.
- Raw cost
- Different plastic families have different average raw material costs. The relative costing of an average material within a family is used for the Material cost indicator.
Individual plastic grades and the use of additives can distort this rating. For an accurate assessment of material cost, use specialized software such as Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Adviser to provide material usage that also incorporates the volume of material needed to supply molten plastic to the injection locations.