Managing Visual Styles

The Visual Styles Manager palette allows you to manage, customize, and preview visual styles.

To show the Visual Styles Manager palette:

1. Do one of the following:
   • On the menu, click View > Visual Styles > Visual Styles Manager.
   • On the Ribbon, click View > Visual Styles > Visual Styles Manager.
   • Type VisualStyles.

Toolbar

Groups frequently used tools for managing visual styles. Some of these functions are available from the context menu.

Button	Description	Function
	New Visual Style	Creates a new visual style.
	Apply Visual Style	Applies the selected visual style to the current viewport.
	Delete Visual Style	Deletes the selected visual style.
	Preview Toggle	Toggles the Preview section on and off.
	View Options	Lets you choose between viewing icons or icons with labels for the visual styles.

Visual Styles

Shows the available visual styles. By default, there are several predefined visual styles. The icons of the predefined visual styles feature a symbol.The icon of the active visual style feature a symbol.

You can also select a predefined visual style from the ribbon, at View > Visual Styles.

Right-clicking an item on the Visual Styles list displays a context menu.

Right-clicking empty space on the Visual Styles list displays a context menu which allows you to create a new visual style or paste a copy of an existing one, if needed.

Icon	Visual Style	Description
	2D Wireframe	Uses lines and curves to represent the edges. Shows raster, OLE entities, linetypes, and lineweights.
	Conceptual	Uses shades and smooth edges to display entities. Uses cold and warm tones for shading to make details easier to view.
	Hidden	Uses a 3D Wireframe representation to display entities. Does not display occluded edges.
	Realistic	Uses smooth and realistic face styles to display entities. Displays materials used for the entities.
	Shaded	Displays a shaded model.
	Shaded with edges	Displays a shaded model with edges.
	Shades of Gray	Uses shades of grey to display entities.
	Sketchy	Uses a hand-sketched effect to display entities.
	Wireframe	Uses lines and curves to represent the edges. Displays a shaded 3D UCS icon.
	X-Ray	Displays entities with a partially transparent outlined shape.

Selecting a visual style displays a list of properties which can be customized. The set of properties varies according to the visual style that you selected in the Visual Styles area.

Face Settings

Groups the options for changing the appearance of model faces.

• Face style. Applies one of the following shading effects on 3D model faces: Gooch, Realistic, None
• Lighting quality. Modifies the smoothness of shaded models.
• Color. Modifies the display color on model faces.
• Monochrome color. Lets you specify a color when the Color property is set to Monochrome or Tint.
• Opacity. Modifies the transparency of faces.
• Material display. Modifies the display of materials and textures.

Lighting

Groups the options for changing lighting properties.

• Highlight intensity. Modifies the light intensity on faces.
• Shadow display. Modifies the shadow display of 3D models.

Environment Settings

Groups the options for changing the appearance of the environment.

• Backgrounds. Specifies whether to display the background.

Edge Settings

Groups the options for changing the appearance of edges.

• Show. Changes the type of edges displayed
• LineColor. Specifies a color for the edges.

Occluded Edges

Groups the options for changing the appearance of occluded edges.

• Show. Specifies whether to display occluded edges.
• LineColor. Specifies a color for the occluded edges.
• LineStyle. Modifies the style used for occluded edges.

Intersection Edges

Groups the options for changing the appearance of intersection edges.

• Show. Specifies whether to display intersection edges.
• LineColor. Lets you specify a color for the intersection edges.
• LineStyle. Modifies the style used for intersection edges.

Silhouette Edges

Groups the options for changing the appearance of silhouette edges.

• Show. Specifies whether to display silhouette edges.
• Width. Lets you specify a value between 1 and 25 for the width of the edges. The default value for this property is 3.

Edge Modifiers

Groups the options for changing the appearance of edges.

• Line extension. Specifies the overshoot length for extension lines.
• Jitter. Modifies the sketch appearance of model edges.
• Crease angle. Specifies an angle at which the facet angle is not shown, in order to produce a smooth effect.
• Halo gap %. Specifies the gap size when a model is hidden by another model.

2D Wireframe Properties

The 2D Wireframe Visual Style features a different set of properties.

2D Wireframe Options

Groups the options for changing the appearance of entities when applying the 2D Wireframe visual style.

• Contour lines. Specify a number of isolines between 0 and 2045 to use for 2D Wireframe. After providing a new value, use the Rebuild command.
• Draw true silhouettes. Specifies whether to display silhouette edges for 3D solid entities in a 2D Wireframe.

2D Hide - Occluded Lines

Groups the options for changing the appearance of occluded lines. These properties are effective after using the HideView command.

• LineColor. Specifies a color for the occluded lines.
• LineStyle. Modifies the style used for occluded lines.

2D Hide - Intersection Edges

Groups the options for changing the appearance of intersection edges. These properties are effective after using the HideView command.

• Show. Specifies whether to display intersection edges.
• LineColor. Specifies a color for the intersection lines.

2D Hide - Miscellaneous

Groups the options for changing various properties. These properties are effective after using the HideView command.

• Halo gap %. Specifies the gap size when a model is hidden by another model.

Display Resolution

Groups the options for changing the diplay resolution.

• Arc/circle smoothing. Lets you specify a value between 1 and 20000 for vectors in order to control the smoothness of curved entities. The default value for this property is 3. Mirrors the DisplayQuality command.
• Spline segments.Lets you specify a value between -32768 and 32767 for the number of line segments that define splined-fit polylines. The default value for this property is 8. Mirrors the SplineSegs command.
• Solid smoothnes. Lets you specify a value between 0.01 and 10 for the smoothness of curved 3D models. The default value for this property is 0.5. Mirrors the FaceTres system variable.

Preview

The Preview section shows changes to the selected visual style in real time. The visual style icon at the top of the palette displays the changes as well.

To create a new visual style:

1. On the Visual Styles Manager palette, click New Visual Style .
2. In the Create New Visual Style dialog box, provide the following information:
   • Name
   • Description
3. Click OK.

The new visual style appears in the Visual Styles section and is the last style on the list.

To apply a visual style to the current viewport:

1. On the Visual Styles Manager palette, in the Visual Styles section, select a visual style.

   Note that predefined visual styles are also available on the ribbon, at View > Visual Styles.

2. Click Apply Visual Style or double-click the visual style icon.

To delete a visual style:

1. On the Visual Styles Manager palette, select a visual style in the Visual Styles section.
2. Click Delete Visual Style .

You cannot delete predefined visual styles or the visual style that is currently applied to the viewport.

Access

Command: VisualStyles

Menu: View > Visual Styles > Visual Styles Manager

Ribbon: View > Visual Styles > Visual Styles Manager