Modeling
About Archicad's design tools, element connections, modeling concepts, etc.

3D Document - won't show colors/materials

jbArch
Newcomer
I'm playing around with the 3D Document for the first time. Can't get it to show material colors... i.e. it only produces a "hidden line" type view, no matter how I set up the 3D Document Settings. Is there another obvious toggle that I'm missing? I can get textures, just no colors.

I'll attach a jpeg.

Ideas?

thanks,
JB

3DDoc.jpg
AC 21 (8002) & 22 USA
Mac OSX 10.14.5 on MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Intel i7, 16GB Ram, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB VRAM, 500GB SSD
20 REPLIES 20
jbArch
Newcomer
One more screen shot showing the settings I'm using... notice that the Uncut Elements are set to display with their own materials, but I'm not actually getting that kind of output.
3DDocSettings.jpg
AC 21 (8002) & 22 USA
Mac OSX 10.14.5 on MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Intel i7, 16GB Ram, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB VRAM, 500GB SSD
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
You've checked 'uniform pen' for uncut elements. Clear that.

Karl
One of the forum moderators
AC 27 USA and earlier   •   macOS Ventura 13.6.6, MacBook Pro M2 Max 12CPU/30GPU cores, 32GB
jbArch
Newcomer
Karl-
Thanks for chiming in. I've unchecked the box for uniform pen colors... but still no shading. (Note: The light green shading you see is the vectorial sun shadow.)

Feels like I've tried every combination possible in this dialog box... I'm wondering if there is something outside of these controls that I'm missing out on?

Cheers & TIA,
JB
AC 21 (8002) & 22 USA
Mac OSX 10.14.5 on MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Intel i7, 16GB Ram, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB VRAM, 500GB SSD
Anonymous
Not applicable
Try new and reset and then copy and paste from old version to new blank drawing.
It's painful and it seems to be a corrupt prefs file somewhere, I think.
Maybe I'm not understanding, but are you using a rendered 3D view to start with?
Richard
--------------------------
Richard Morrison, Architect-Interior Designer
AC26 (since AC6.0), Win10
jbArch
Newcomer
Chris, thanks for the help.

If I start a new file from the AC12 template, and copy/paste from my original file then it all works fine. So clearly there are some whacked prefs in my original file (admittedly, it started as an AC10 file).

So how can I track down the bad prefs? I'd prefer not to set up this whole file again with new views, section/elevs, etc.

Thanks,
JB

p.s. Richard - I started with a 3D window view that was shaded and using OpenGL. But I don't think it should matter... the shading is controlled within the 3D document.
AC 21 (8002) & 22 USA
Mac OSX 10.14.5 on MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Intel i7, 16GB Ram, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB VRAM, 500GB SSD
jbArch wrote:
p.s. Richard - I started with a 3D window view that was shaded and using OpenGL. But I don't think it should matter... the shading is controlled within the 3D document.
No, I believe shading is controlled by the 3D WINDOW settings, not the 3D Document. settings. (And I'm assuming you intended the distinction between shades and shadows...)
Richard
--------------------------
Richard Morrison, Architect-Interior Designer
AC26 (since AC6.0), Win10
jbArch
Newcomer
Richard, I should clarify that when I said "shading" I meant that walls, etc. are to be shaded with the material colors. Nothing to do with shade & shadows.

A better way to say it is that I 'm having trouble getting surfaces to show their material colors in the 3D Doc.

I only called it "shading" to point out that I started with my 3D window set to:
View/3D Window Mode/Shading
and
View/3D Window Mode/OpenGL

Shading is really a misnomer but it is archicad's term not mine.
AC 21 (8002) & 22 USA
Mac OSX 10.14.5 on MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Intel i7, 16GB Ram, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB VRAM, 500GB SSD
Chazz
Enthusiast
I thought it was not possible to get material textures to show up in a 3D Document view. If someone thinks otherwise, I'd love to see the settings and a picture of the result. Anyone?
Nattering nabob of negativism
2023 MBP M2 Max 32GM. MaxOS-Current