topic Re: Transparent or Screened Pen Colours for transparent lines - is this possible? in Project data & BIM

Transparent or Screened Pen Colours for transparent lines - is this possible?

g r a n t — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 23:57:48 GMT

Hello,

I am wondering if it is possible for ArchiCAD to have "screened" pen colours so they have a transparency when plotted?

Can the pen colours be set to a degree of transparency. From what I can find online and this forum is does not appear so. I thought there may be a work around.

My goal is to have thicker line types (say 1mm or 1.5mm) that can have a 25% or 50% screen so the lines allow some of the lines/objects below to show through.

Thank you.

Grant

Re: Transparent or Screened Pen Colours for transparent lines - is this possible?

Barry Kelly — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 03:13:47 GMT

Short answer, no.

But you could set up a dashed line type and you will see through the gaps (not quite the same I know).

Barry.

Re: Transparent or Screened Pen Colours for transparent lines - is this possible?

g r a n t — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 12:34:10 GMT

@Barry Kelly Thank you

Re: Transparent or Screened Pen Colours for transparent lines - is this possible?

Velocipede2022 — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 04:12:35 GMT

I would love to see this added in a future update! As a former autoCAD user I used transparent lines all the time.

Re: Transparent or Screened Pen Colours for transparent lines - is this possible?

Erwin Edel — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:34:43 GMT

Different solution for a similar problem: we use grey outlines for furniture, floor tile patterns and the like to allow black text to pop out better.

Using red, blue and green pens also helps with elements / annotation overlays to read more clearly.

Some printers do not like percentage fills unless you set them to 'CAD' printing, which 3rd parties/clients often are clueless about, so that's something to consider with percentage fills as well.

Re: Transparent or Screened Pen Colours for transparent lines - is this possible?

Laszlo Nagy — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 23:22:53 GMT

You should make a wish in the official Wishlist so other can vote on it:

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/idb-p/wishlist