Masses and their properties

[mmenendez]

Is it possible to change the color of a mass? I'm doing some massing models and trying to change the color but cannot figure out how to. Thanks in advance!

[lhanyok]

The color is determined by the material. Change the material of the mass object and the color will change.

[mmenendez]

The color is determined by the material. Change the material of the mass object and the color will change.

I've tried to do that. It doesn't change the color when the model graphics are set to shading.I think the default color is purple. I want to show different masses different colors. Do you know how to do that that? I don't want to start assigning materials. Thanks

[lhanyok]

The color of an object in shaded view is determined by the object's material. You don't have to assign a material like brick or wood, just create materials such as Mass 1, Mass 2, etc. and change the color in the first tab under "Shading." You can also select solid colors as an AccuRender material if you're going to be rendering it.

[Emily.Santilli]

To create a new material, you have to add a new subcategory in Object Styles. I went through this exact same question a while ago, so don't fret. It is buried a bit, but once you do it, it'll make sense.

Under "Settings" click "Object Styles." A dialog window will open showing all the different material categories for the project: how everything will be displayed. Click "New Subcategory" and another dialog will open. Enter a new name (eg: Mass 1, University Mass, Parking Information, whatever) and select the category you want it to fall under (in this case, Mass). It will then appear in the Object Styles dialog. Give it the properties you want. To change color, click on the cell in that new row under the "Material" column. A little grey box with a black arrow will appear within that cell. Click that arrow and a new dialog window will open: "Materials." this is where you change and create colors, surface or cut patterns, and how the material will render. For your needs, you only need to set the color.

I would strongly suggest avoiding changing any of the materials that currently exist. You never know how that is going to affect your project forever. :) Instead, click the "duplicate" button to create a new material type for your new piece of mass. Duplicate anything, it doesn't matter which one b/c you're going to reset all the info anyway. Name it whatever you want (probably starting will "Mass" so you can always find it in this list). Then set the color under the "Shading" category of this dialog window. You can also change it's degree of transparency, smoothness, and shininess, as well as add a glow. AccuRender is for rendering, so don't worry about that. Surface pattern is for if you want a pattern on the surface, such as a hatch or a grid. Cut pattern is for what pattern will appear when the material is cut through and how that will show up.

If all you need is the color, then deal only with the "Shading" category. Follow your changes up with "OK." Your new subcategory will now be in the project. When you are in edit mode for the mass, click on the element before you "finish mass" and go to it's element properties. You will see a category for "Material" followed by "<By Category>." Leave this as is! That identifies that the category for this element is "Mass," which is what you want. A couple lines down you'll see "Subcategory" and here is where you want to apply your new material. Click the cell and then the drop down arrow to find your new material. Click OK and see how it worked.

I hope this helps. I know it sounds a bit confusing, but it's how Revit thinks. Grasping this helps understand how Revit orders its information, so good luck for future settings issues. :)

:)
Emily