Quote - if you use polygroups then you dont need extra materials but still get a lot of groups.

So polygroups means assigning one material zone to a number of different geometry groups, does it? This will be absolutely essential for the model I am working on. There are dozens of groups for the metal framework of the structure, but they will all be the same material.

Thanks ice-boy, I'll look into that. Hopefully it is supported in my Mac version of Blender.

"If I were a shadow, I know I wouldn't like to be half of what I should be."
Mr Otsuka, the old black tomcat in Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)