Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> How to change colour of a download from RevitCity

CRB14

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Joined: Fri, Oct 22, 2010
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Hey there -

I've downloaded several components from Revit City (families) and they always seem to render in grey. I can't seem to be able to change or apply a material to them, prior to loading them into my project.....any ideas? I've attached the menu that comes up with the model so you can see my limited options....

Thanks

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vector23

Joined: Sun, Apr 23, 2006
265 Posts

one option guaranteed to give you the color you want:

make your own..

well it's true..

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CRB14

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Thanks - huge help...I wish I was as talented so I could make that! Any further suggestions would be much appreciated...

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Erev777

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Joined: Sun, Jan 24, 2010
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uhmmm usually you have to do the "edit family" that will allow you to edit the model itself. if the components are simple you might be able to change materials and add some parameters while you're at it. But yeah, I kinda agree with Vector (kinda) I do my own simple models, the more detailed ones I get them from here . anyways, so just click on "edit family" I hope this helped...

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vector23

Joined: Sun, Apr 23, 2006
265 Posts

yeah i kinda agree with myself too (kinda)- i mean i

sure couldn't build some of those cars they have at

revit city.. and other good stuff there too..

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WWHub

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Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
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I have a better answer for you and it is easier than vector's "build your own".

Most of these car models were not created in Revit but are CAD layer based.  BUT YOU CAN STILL SET MATERIALS AND COLORS.  Materials for all imported CAD elements in families are controlled by layer settings.

From the project model, Manage tab / Object styles / Imported objects tab / Imports in Families - you will find the material assignments by layer. 

Also, in the car family, you can assign the materials.

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itsmyalterego

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Joined: Thu, May 28, 2009
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If you have the ability to make your own families, you should also be able to interpret how others were made, and modify them as you wish. Much of my knowledge of family-building came from reverse engineering families that other people made.

"Reverse engineering" being a euphemism for "mutilating", and then going back and trying to understand the importance of all the silly dimensions I "cleaned up."

Most families are made in revit, but the particularly slick ones are imported from other programs.  Like cars.  Or swoopy chairs.  If they're made in revit, it should be particularly easy to change the materials.  If you're OCD and are good with managing your materials, you can match up the material names between your project and your families, but that might be a lot of work... otherwise, as soon as your import a family into your project, the materials for the family will show up in your project.  BLOAT. 

For example, I made a simple copper downspout family that cuts into a wall.  It's only one material, and I named it copper downspout.  It's in the material manager and as easy to change as anything else. 

For complex families, hopefully their materials are clumped together alphabetically like Landcruiser_windshield, Landcruiser_tires, Landcruiser_etc... but that's a lot to hope for. 

hope that helps. 

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grid

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A simple solution may be to use the paint (PT) tool. Just select the material and paint the faces. 

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itsmyalterego

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The paint tool wont work on families you've loaded in, sadly.  I've also got some serious misgivings about using the tool in general -- Stemming from one coworker's crusade to pull an all-nighter, while he was learning, and paint roughly half the surfaces in the model to make it look good for a render. 

By the time we realized what had happened, restoring wasn't an option, and we had to hunt down and de-paint each surface individually. 

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vector23

Joined: Sun, Apr 23, 2006
265 Posts

BEWARE!

putting any DWG into a revit project is like putting

a cockroach into your soup.. you may or may not

ever  have a problem with it being there- but it's

not a good  idea..

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CRB14

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Awesome - all good things to know  - thank you all

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itsmyalterego

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Vector, dealing with .dwg files is still a reality. Site plans and surveys in particular--these are things that will remain in .dwg formats for a decade or more.  Knowing how to manage links, import/link specific layers, or simplify the cad before importing can make dealing with .dwg's a lot less of a hassle.  Also, controlling their visibility so you only see them in the views you want... yay for templates.

Using autocad drawings is everyday work for me in revit.  Any project in the office at the moment has at least one linked drawing, and in every case they are completely benign.  Often we'll stack up contradictory as-built information over the top of one another in a big .dwg tortilla, and build off of that, and we haven't had any real problems.  we delete and/or unload them when they're no longer needed. 

Another case is importing old cad details to convert into revit details.  An ongoing project. 

I have a different analogy.  You have tons of soup, but it's only cabbage and saltwater.  You're malnourished and starving.  You need protein... so how's that cockroach looking now?    99% of the people on revit city love revit and feel it's a huge improvement over autocad, but it'd be silly to throw away all of the information we've got stored in our old drawings out of pride, or whatever it is.   It's smart business, and autodesk has made it smooth.

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