Product(s):	OpenBuildings Designer
	Version(s):	CONNECT Edition
	Area:	Drawing Views

Problem

We often reference our drawings into multiple sheets, controlling their display as needed on a case-by-case basis. In doing this I've found that when the drawing view is set to Dynamic mode, attempting to adjust the transparency value under Adjust Colors > Transparency simply does not work for elements from the source 3D models, only for annotation or other elements in the 2D drawing model.

In order to use transparency it seems the drawing view must set to Cached mode instead.

But when the drawing is in Cached mode I can't turn off levels directly from the sheet without those changes being applied to the drawing model itself. And that means all sheets referencing that drawing will have the same level(s) turned off which is not what we need.

Is there any way to use both transparency and level control when a drawing is referenced into a sheet, with those results applied to that instance only?

Solution

Dynamic Mode

In a Dynamic drawing, the geometry we see is the "live" 3D geometry even though it may be resymbolized on-the-fly. When using the Adjust Colors > Transparency setting from the References dialog, what you are attempting to do is control transparency of that 3D geometry through a nested reference attachment; i.e., altering the 3D element's display from a Z-depth perspective which does not work in a 2D model. However, you can get similar results using the right combination of color Value and Saturation as shown here:

For level control, Dynamic mode is simple because you’re reaching into the 3D model itself and controlling which levels are displayed thru the nested referenced attachment.

Cached Mode

In a Cached drawing, the geometry we see "lives" directly in that 2D drawing model. So when using the Adjust Colors > Transparency setting it's acting on that 2D geometry in the drawing model, unlike with Dynamic mode that displays the referenced source 3D geometry.

But when it comes to level control, the 3D geometry referenced into the cached drawing model is hidden so anything we do to control the display of those cached graphics is thru tools specifically designed for them; e.g., Copy/Hide Cached Graphics, Level Off, etc..

But in all cases that level control takes place directly in the drawing model itself. This is why turning off a cached drawing level from the sheet requires a reload which in turns hides that same geometry in the drawing model itself. And that is why all sheets referencing that drawing will display the same combination of displayed and non-displayed levels.

As an alternative, you could use the Copy/Hide Cached Element command since it generates “real” geometry in the drawing model and therefore allows level control directly at the reference attachment level, without affecting the drawing itself.  XXXX

Lastly, there is the option of using the configuration variable MS_REF_ENABLE_LEGACY_VISEDGES. By default it is undefined, but if you set it to =1 the Legacy option becomes available in the drop-down list:

  

While this visible edge mode does allow both transparency and level control, it is deprecated which is why it’s only available thru a configuration variable. The results are therefore “as-is” since it’s no longer developed, but it may provide acceptable results, at least as a short-term solution.