# Material instance copy loses parent

**URL:** <https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/material-instance-copy-loses-parent/328543>\
**Category:** Asset Creation\
**Tags:** parent, duplicate, unreal-engine, bug-report, question\
**Created:** [August 13, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/material-instance-copy-loses-parent/328543 "2015-08-13T13:22:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Luos](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/luos/32/918700_2.png) [@Luos](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Luos)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/material-instance-copy-loses-parent/328543/1 "2015-08-13T13:22:43Z")

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So whenever I make a copy (duplicate) of a material instance, it loses its link with the original parent (master material)

1. make a material instance. (of existing material)
2. Move it to a subfolder.
3. open mat instance.
4. add a preview mesh to it.
5. copy the material instance (not an instance of the instance)
6. open the copied material instance.
7. Profit… (as in, bug)

number 2 and 5 are optional, but seem to result in always causing the bug.

Innitially it will look like everything is fine, but when opening the duplicate material instance for some reason the parent linking is gone.  
It still “says” that the parent is correct, but you will need to manually update it for the duplicated mat-inst to work.

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**Author:** ![Lovecraft\_K](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Lovecraft\_K](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Lovecraft_K)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/material-instance-copy-loses-parent/328543/2 "2015-08-13T15:27:06Z")

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Hi Luos -

Yep that does appear to be an issue. As a workaround that I was seeing, you can adjust on of the settings and it will reset the Preview Mesh. In any case, I have entered the bug in as UE-19991.

Thank You

Eric Ketchum

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Luos](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/luos/32/918700_2.png) [@Luos](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Luos)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/material-instance-copy-loses-parent/328543/3 "2015-08-13T17:45:06Z")

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Hello Eric, I also noticed that each time you re-open the mat-inst. the checkermap comes back.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lovecraft\_K](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Lovecraft\_K](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Lovecraft_K)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/material-instance-copy-loses-parent/328543/4 "2015-08-13T18:11:52Z")

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Got that too. Thank you for the confirmation.

Eric Ketchum