DesignSpark Mechanical Online Help

Making objects transparent

By default, the transparency of an object is determined by its layer color and whether or not the object is a surface. Surfaces are displayed as semi-transparent to visually distinguish them from solids. You can override the transparency of objects using the Color tool.

In a graphics editing application, color is assigned to an Alpha channel (ARGB, for example). DS Mechanical follows this standard convention and also treats transparency as a property of the object's color.

The hierarchy of rendering overrides is as follows:

• The opacity setting for the layer is used if no other transparency is set for the object.
• The transparency setting from the Color tool or Style Painter overrides the transparency of the layer.
• Style Override makes the object opaque or transparent, regardless of face or layer settings. These overrides are automatically deselected when you change the transparency of an object using the Color tool or Style Painter.

To change the transparency of an object

1. Select one or more solids, surfaces, faces, curves, or components in the Design windowArea in the user interface that displays your model or assembly. Also known as Workspace. or Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components..

   Hold the Ctrl key to select more than one object.

   If you select a component, then the color of all of the component's children will be changed.

2. Click Color in the Style group on the Display tab.

3. MoveA tool used to translate or rotate geometry. the Opacity slider.

To override an object's transparency

1. Select one or more solids, surfaces, faces, curves, or components in the Design windowArea in the user interface that displays your model or assembly. Also known as Workspace. or Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components..

   Hold the Ctrl key to select more than one object.

   If you select a component, then the color of all of the component's children will be changed.

2. Click Style Override in the Style group on the Display tab.

3. Select one of the options:

   • Transparent to make the object 35% transparent.

   • Opaque to make the object completely opaque.

   Deselect so neither override is selected if you want to use the object's transparency setting.
   
   NoteAnnotation placed on a design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup. Notes contain text or symbols that you insert and can be connected to geometry by a note leader.: If any subset of the body's faces is made transparent, Style Override is disabled, because there is a mix of opaque and transparent faces.
   

To reapply the layer color and transparency

1. Select one or more solids, surfaces, faces, or curves in the Design windowArea in the user interface that displays your model or assembly. Also known as Workspace. or Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components..

   Hold the Ctrl key to select more than one object.

2. Select Remove Color Override from the Color tool on the Display tab's Style ribbon group. You can see this option in the image of the Color tool above.

To apply per-face transparency

1. Select a face.
   
   

    

2. Open Color in the Display tab and set the Transparency for the selected face.
   
   
   
   

3. Review the properties for the selected face. By default, the Style property will be By Color, By Style so the BodyA solid or surface. Style overrides the FaceSide or other surface of a solid. Some examples are the inside surface of a hole or the six sides of a rectangular solid. See Surface. style and the Transparency is overridden.
   
   
   
   

4. Open Style Override in the Display tab and note that Opaque is the active BodyA solid or surface. Style.
   
   
   
   

5. Click the active style (Opaque) to disable it.
   
   NoteAnnotation placed on a design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup. Notes contain text or symbols that you insert and can be connected to geometry by a note leader.: Style Override appears disabled.
   
   
   
   

6. FaceSide or other surface of a solid. Some examples are the inside surface of a hole or the six sides of a rectangular solid. See Surface. transparency displays.