Styles are sets of parameters that you can assign to objects in AutoCAD Architecture (formerly Architectural Desktop or ADT) to determine their appearance. This means an AutoCAD Architecture object references a style in order to determine certain aspects of its appearance. For example, a door style determines the type of door represented in the drawing, such as single or double hung, bifold or hinged, solid core or glass pane. You can assign one style to more than one object, and you can modify the parameters of that style to change all the objects that have the same style assigned to them.
For more information about how to work with styles in AutoCAD Architecture, refer to the AutoCAD Architecture Reference.
A style is made up of components. Each component defines dimensions and display properties per view. For example, the hatch pattern defined for component1 in Plan view can be different from the hatch pattern for the same component in Model view. Styles are grouped in categories that mirror the categories of AutoCAD Architecture objects. You perform model management, such as creating and deleting styles and style-components in AutoCAD Architecture, and reload the modified scene into Autodesk VIZ using the File Link Manager utility.
When a model is linked to Autodesk VIZ from AutoCAD Architecture, styles play an important role in assigning render materials and texture coordinates to Architectural Desktop object components described by style components. Components of an AutoCAD Architecture object often have predefined materials in their style definitions. This means that if you have many instances of an object in your drawing, you can quickly replace materials on all the objects without having to select each instance of the object.
'Style-based objects' is a more common term for AutoCAD Architecture objects that reference styles.
Styles-based AutoCAD Architecture objects do have some limitations when a model is linked to Autodesk VIZ.
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Changes to styles and their components performed in Autodesk VIZ will not propagate back into Architectural Desktop.
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The structure of a style-based object in Autodesk VIZ cannot be changed. You cannot add components to or delete them from a linked object.
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Objects on frozen layers in Architectural Desktop will not be displayed when the model is linked to Autodesk VIZ.
Note: This is not the case when Skip All Frozen Layers is turned off in your File Link settings.
The primary purpose of linking a model from AutoCAD Architecture to Autodesk VIZ is preparing the scene for presentation to your clients and rendering. AEC Objects are made up of components that have default architectural materials assigned through their styles. Components can be selected from the Select Objects dialog or Selection Floater and new materials can be assigned or the existing material can be altered in the Material Editor.
For example, a door that is assigned the “Hinged – Single – Full Lite” style is made up of five components in AutoCAD Architecture. The components are the Frame, Panel, Stop, Glass, and Muntins. Each component has a material assigned to it. For instance, the default material assigned to the Panel component of this type of door is “finish carpentry.wood.mahogany”. If you want to change the Panel material in Autodesk VIZ, you can select the Panel component and drag a new material to it from the Material Editor.
Because the Panel material is part of the door's style, your new material will automatically propagate to any other door in the scene that is assigned the “Hinged – Single – Full Lite” style.
Note: If you need to apply a material to individual objects, or object selections, rather than to all objects of the same style, you can use the command Propagate Materials To Instances.
For more information about working with materials and assigning materials to objects in Autodesk VIZ, see Materials.
Architectural drawings range from simple sketches to highly complex floor plans, so finding different components of a drawing can be difficult. Style-based objects from AutoCAD Architecture all have styles associated with them. So if you link a drawing to Autodesk VIZ, objects with styles will be associated with them both in AutoCAD Architecture and in Autodesk VIZ. Furthermore, in Autodesk VIZ, the name of the object will contain the AutoCAD Architecture object category name (Door, for example), style name (Double Hinged) and component name (Panel).
You make most object and component selections in Autodesk VIZ by selecting objects in the viewports. However, in complex models where objects and components may be spread across multiple layers or located in congested areas, style definitions help streamline the selection of reusable components in a drawing.
Once objects and components are selected, you can also isolate them from the remainder of the model to work on them more efficiently.
To select objects by style:
The Select Similar command has the same function in Autodesk VIZ as it does in AutoCAD Architecture.
To select objects or components by name:
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Choose Edit menu > Select By > Name, or press the H key to open the Select Objects dialog.
Alternately, you could use the Selection Floater, accessed from the Tools menu. While similar to the Select Objects dialog, the Selection Floater is modeless and can remain on-screen while you're working.
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While holding down the Ctrl key, select objects or components with common names.
You can also enter the object or component name in the name field at the top of the dialog.
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All objects or components that share the specified name are selected.