To change the display properties of a material in project views, use the Graphics tab of the Materials dialog. You can change settings that define the way the material displays in shaded views, as well as the way its outer surfaces and cut surfaces display in other views. The material appearance editors, on the Appearance tab, give you all the necessary controls to change the display.

NoteMaterials do not display in wireframe views; however, surface patterns still display.

To change the display properties of a material

Click Manage tab Settings panel Materials. See Searching for a Material.
In the Materials dialog, select the material to change.
Click the Graphics tab.
To change how the material looks in shaded views (such as 3D views and elevations), under Shading, do the following:
- If you want to use the render appearance to represent the material in shaded views, select Use Render Appearance for Shading. Revit calculates an average color for the render appearance and uses it to represent the material in 2D and 3D views whose Visual Style setting is Shaded. You can present realistic views by selecting Realistic.
- Click the color swatch. In the Color dialog, select a color. (See Colors.) Click OK.
- For Transparency, enter a value between 0% (completely opaque) and 100% (completely transparent), or move the slider to the desired setting.
To change how the outer surface of the material displays in views (such as plan views and section views), under Surface Pattern, do the following:
- To change the surface pattern, click the arrow, and select a pattern from the list.
- To change the color that is used to draw the surface pattern, click the color swatch. In the Color dialog, select a color. Click OK.
NoteIn the project, you can align the surface pattern to a model element. See Aligning the Surface Pattern on a Model Element.
To change how the cut surface of the material displays in views, under Cut Pattern, do the following:
- To change the cut pattern, click the arrow, and select a pattern from the list.
- To change the color that is used to draw the cut pattern, click the color swatch. In the Color dialog, select a color. Click OK.
Click Apply.
To exit the Materials dialog, click OK.

Topics in this section

Aligning the Surface Pattern on a Model Element

Comments

Comments5

beesteeTue Aug 2, 2011 12:14 pmThe 'use render appearance for shading' is too limited as a single option. There needs to be an option for directly translating the RGB value of the bitmap placed in the color slot to the 'graphics' shading color.

To see why I have an issue with this:

1. Find or set up a small, solid color image for use as a swatch in the render appearance of a material and make note of the RGB value.

2. In Revit, use this swatch in the color image slot of any material.

3. Check the option for 'use render appearance for shading' in the 'graphics' tab and make note of the RGB value that it returns.

4. Go back to the appearance tab and remove the image.

5. Change the preview object type using the 'options' dropdown menu.

6. Put the same image back in the color image slot.

7. Go back to the graphics tab and make note of the RGB value.

I do see value in the feature as it stands now for a more realistic depiction in some cases, but I think there is more value in an option for situations where shaded views need to show the unmodified average value of the swatch. The only way to apply color to materials when faced with this common situation then, is to force the use of direct RGB input, and therefore introduce more room for user error on input of those RGB values.

Please contact me if you need more information.

Thanks,

Ben
paulaplTue Aug 2, 2011 12:27 pmThank you, Ben for this valuable input. I forwarded it to the Revit Materials team so that it can be considered for feature enhancement. We appreciate your willingness to be contacted for more information.

Paula - Autodesk Revit User Experience Team
paulaplWed Aug 3, 2011 10:44 amIt looks like your questions are related to a consequence of the color interpreter. The color interpreter matches the color of the material as applied and rendered. To get a color that is the same RGB in shaded view as is recorded for the rendered view, you need to input explicit RGB values for the appearance property set.

It would be helpful to know what result you are looking for:
The rendered view and shaded view are the same RGB in a fully front lit condition?
The brightest face of the rendered view is the same RGB as the shaded color or the constant color view?

Thank you,
Paula - Autodesk Revit User Experience Team
beesteeWed Mar 7, 2012 1:50 pmSorry for the late response on this.

I am looking for the interpreter to use the unaffected value of the image that I specify directly rather than any approximation of the rendered end result. I am looking for it to do the same thing that it does when an RGB value is input explicitly.

Thank you,

Ben
karen.smithThu Mar 8, 2012 7:41 amHi Ben - Thanks for the additional information and your suggestion for how the color interpreter should work. For feature/functionality wishlist items like this, please submit your requests using this form: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=1109794. This makes sure it gets into the right hands and is properly tracked as a future enhancement. - Karen Smith, Autodesk Revit User Experience Team

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Changing the Display Properties of a Material

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Comments5