3D view, grey model with colour mechanical

[Foti]

Hello

I am trying to demonstrate my mechanical and plumbing system, I would like to make a full grey model transparent, not wireframe, and have just the plumbing in colour and then one for the mechanical.

I tried making different pensets, but when in 3d view, the opengl doesnt do anything with the pen sets and when i do a vectorial, it seems to work, but not 100%.

Would there be a way to make a full model transparent, with a pen set for ventilation and pen set for plumbing?

Thank you

I am using AC21 on windows.
foti

[DGSketcher]

Have you looked into using Graphic Overrides? If your version of AC has it then it should be ideal for what you want to do.

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/user-guide/76882/

[Foti]

Yeah not really working, I am not sure how to make a rule where a wall is transparent in the 3D view. I need a basic ghost of the whole building, and just the mechanical in the colour I have associated them systems, cold intake is blue, hot return is red etc....

[mikas]

I believe you can achieve it with graphic overrides. Just make all the needed and suitable rules, put them in a list (and arrange). Also make suitable surface materials for transparency first, and after that make rules and build the override with them.

It might look something like this screenshot, just with different colors and with HVAC elements. Would it be what you are after for? (screenshot in foreign language, but you get the idea). This is AC22, but I believe AC21 does the same.

[DGSketcher]

Another thought, if the transparency is not clear enough you could change the layers you want as transparent to wire frame in the 3D view display option and just leave the services as solid.

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/user-guide/89381/

[Foti]

Hello Mikas, yes thats what I would like to achieve, I did read something about transparent material, I have stone as my exterior, does that mean I would have to go into the surface of that material and make it transparent? Would I have to make all my materials I am using transparent in the surface options? I will keep trying to play around with what you suggested as well.

DGSketcher, I will try that as well, did not think of that, maybe too many lines but interesting approach.

Thank you both.

[mikas]

You need to make new materials for HVAC elements (red, green, yellow..) plus one transparent material for everything else. I took glass material as a reference, made a copy, adjusted the transparency a little, and then tinted it red. All the real materials can be as they are modelled and as they are going to be for real. This is going to be just a temporary overdrive which we will switch off later while doing renders, construction drawings and details etc.

Adjust the overdrive rules so that HVAC elements are overdriven with respective colors, for example you can order all elements in one layer to be opaque yellow or opaque green, and so on. Last you order all other elements exept HVAC elements in your project to be transparent red. Or maybe just transparent white, whatever suites you.

There are a lot of criterias to use when overdriving the graphics, it's not just layers. For all other elements I can use for example renovation status (new) as a filter

User interface is a little bit cumbersome I think, but it is a powerfull feature. Very handy to do checks for the model. It could well be used as a poor mans visual collision detection.

[Foti]

Great just getting the hang of it, one question regarding the over ride rules. When I make a new rule and list wall to be transparent, doors to be transparent, it al work as you said. But as soon as I introduce a layer in that same rule the model goes back to its original state.

in the second image i added the layer and the model returns.

[DGSketcher]

Simple logic... the GO will consider each of the elements as they are OR but your layer will be treated as AND. The GO will only change the listed elements AND they are on the specified layer. I don't know you layer set up but it may be easier to change all 3D elements to grey and then apply a second rule for instance layer "heating" to change lines to black & surfaces to red. You do know you can have multiple rules for a GO?

[Foti]

Thank you so much, it is working, I love AC!!!