How can I easily change the materials in linked revit models to be transparent?

[Joel_S_Hills]

I work in a structural office, I want to show our model with materials but also want to add the arch revit model in, but want all the arch model information to be transparent.

In addition I want to be able to add the mechanical revit model in but have the materials transparent, but a specific color shade.

Can I do this without having to edit the linked in revit models?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Hi,

You can do this but it will be view specific meaning it will only change on that view where you change it. To do this you need to edit your visibily/Graphics override (Shortcut key VG or VV) in the Revit links Tab Highlight the architectural link model (DO NOT expand it by clicking the +) click the button on the Display Settings Culomn of the arch model to bring up the RVT Link Display Settings. Choose the Custom tick then click in the Model Categories Tab. In the Model Categories tab pulldown the menu and choose custom. This will make the element categories active. Select them all then click one of the cell where the Transparency columns is (be sure to click the white cell not the greyed out ones.). Then a slide bar setting will appear for you to set the transparency of the elements. click ok all the way and see the results.

For your MEP model Link you can do the same above but you need to change the Patterns column settings as well to change the colour. Despite this changes some settings in an MEP model can only be change in Revit MEP application like the systems color. OR you can filter them system by system which will be tedious to do.

R,

Z

[Joel_S_Hills]

Hi Z,

Thanks for replying to my questions got transferred from the Autodesk Live forum to this one, What I am trying to do is change the material as seen by rendering the model. What you suggested does not change the render viability of the linked models.

Thank Joel

[Anonymous]

Ahh so you need to render it, I thought you just want to change it for your own visual preference. You cannot change it in the host file. you need to change it in the link file.

[RDAOU]

@Joel_S_Hills Hi

Would setting the Linked models as Half toned Underlay solve your issue? (Visibility Graphics > Revit Links)

[ToanDN]

If you want to quickly assign different colors to different links, put each link in a separate workset, then you can turn use Worksharing Display Settings / Worksets and they will be showing with different colors.

Below is an example of 3 links show in 3 different colors.

[Joel_S_Hills]

Hi Guys, Thanks for the responses, These only change the viability view but when It comes to rendering the model to use in Autodesk Live nothing actually changes.

As far as I can tell nothing in the viability graphics dialog will change the material of objects per view, I have tried all of these suggestions and the Rendered model looks the same.

Im not sure why my question got moved to this forum, because its something that happens with converting models to Autodesk Live.

So far my work around is loading up the arch revit model and changing all the materials to transparent. But I have to do that every time I get a new model.

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

Well, if you had mentioned about "rendering the model to use in Autodesk Live" in your initial post then we wouldn't have gone through all the answers that didn't work.

One thing you can do is rename the material names for you structural model to be unique from those of the linked models, e.g. S_Concrete versus Concrete. Link the models in and change their materials to transparent. Because the names are different that should not affect you structural model transparency. Next time, when the links updated, the transparency remains.

[KyrreKolstad]

Hi.

I'm a MEP-engineer and I want to present mechanical installations in the building to our customer using a third party real-time renderer. The problem for any MEP engineer is that the walls are always blocking our installations. If I turn them off entirely it makes the model incomprehensible.

I've tried to make the walls in the linked model to be transparent with object styles, but nothing changes when I'm looking at the view with the ray tracing visual style.

I can see multiple layers in the wall when I inspect the wall type in the linked model:

Will I have to copy all those materials to my library and make them transparent if I want to render them transparent?