4.2.1 Color Coding BIM Elements

Available with the Following Subscriptions: All Subscriptions
Available for the following Project Roles: Editor, Admin

BIM Model Color Coding in cmBuilder allows you to control model visibility and highlight elements to help organize simulations, enhance presentations, and customize visuals for better clarity. 

This article contains the following sections:

1. Sequencing View
2. Presentation Visuals
3. Permanent/Temporary Colors

Related user workshop videos:

Sequencing View

Using the Sequence Helper, you can toggle color filters, highlight milestone assignments, and easily reassign BIM model elements for accurate sequencing.

• To learn more on how to use the Sequence Helper, read the 🔗Sequence BIM Models user guide.

Presentation Visuals

The Presentation Visuals highlight elements at each milestone to improve visibility. This tool lets you to animate and color‑code BIM elements in Presentation Mode using schedule‑driven grow and shrink animations.

• To learn more about setting up Presentation Visuals, read the 🔗Grow/Shrink Animation user guide section.

Permanent Color Change

Permanent Color Change is useful when the default coloring of the model needs to be changed to either reflect actual colors, or apply a color coding -typically based on material type. Occasionally temporary color change tool is useful when you have multiple tasks but only have one 3d model, where color coding the models.

1. Select a BIM element, right-click and select Edit BIM Element
2. In the right-side menu, click on Color. Select Custom color to choose the color you want or adjust the transparency of the element.
3. Click Done to apply the color change permanently in the scenario.

Temporary Color Change

There is no temporary color change apart from the highlight in presentation animations. There is however a workaround that makes it appear as though a single BIM Element's color is affected by multiple Milestones. An example could be to show a slab's formworks, rebar, and concrete pour actions but the whole slab is a single BIM Element. This work around involves inserting multiple instance of the BIM Model (with different permanent colors applied), and attaching each instance of a BIM Element (across the different BIM Model instances) to different Milestones.

1. Define or plan the construction steps you want to show
2. Insert another copy of the BIM Model:
   • Go to Model Tree
   • Click on the model you wish to copy . Right-click and select Duplicate model (create as many duplicates as needed).
3. Optional: Rename duplicated models to organize the steps better.
4. Change model colors
   • In the Model Tree, select one of the duplicated model.
   • Right-click and select Edit BIM Element.
   • In the right-side menu, click Color to assign different colors to each model.
   • Repeat the steps for other models.
5. Define the start and end dates milestones where you wish to show the duplicated models
   • Select the model
   • Right-click, and select either Begin from this milestone or End at this milestone.
6. To view the temporary colors assigned to the model, go to the milestones where the elements will show, or go to Presentation mode and click Play presentation.

💡 Note: To easily view and assign colors on the model. isolate the model by selecting it, then right-click, select Temporary Hide Everything Else. All other parts and elements (except the terrain and the selected model) will be hidden. To turn off the terrain, go to Model Tree, under Map & Earthwork, select Earthwork, and click on the eye button to show/hide the terrain. 

You can also use the Temporary Hide feature by right-clicking on the model and select Temporary Hide or type H. This makes it easier to select or deselect the models you are working on.