Many have wondered "How do I get family table members to display different colors?"
Typically the best suggestion has been to create surfaces on the solid as a feature and change the color of the surfaces, having a set of surfaces for each different color desired, and turning the surface sets on and off through the family table...
That can create a lot of overhead for regenerating.
This is a different solution, and fairly low overhead, with some additional benefits, and minor drawbacks... Works in WF4 I know!
- Start with the material file.Save a copy of the assigned material for each color you desire within the part, including an extra for the base color (good idea?). If there are multiple materials for the part, do it with each one for the desired colors.
- Do the renaming for each material, with the color in its name. May be a good idea to have an extra for the base color. Keep it simple if you can, these names will be used in the family table.
- In the generic model add each color in the base material assigned to the generic (the extra that was created). Not sure if this is a required step, has not been tested otherwise by me. Also assign the correct color for each material.
- Assign the extra or system material to the generic. If I am correct the material files are stored internally to the part.
- In the family table, add the system parameter for material to a column. I made sure toinsert it early in the table.
- Edit the column to use the correct color code material file for each member.
- Regenerate the generic if needed.
- Verify the family table. You can expect that the color may not be the original one selected in the generic material file. The generic color gets reassigned when the instance material is loaded.
- Reassign the color in the material file of the generic to what you want.
- Save the file. Color and appearance does not trigger another family table verify.
- Upload, then check in.
- Test it!
I actually used this with the ptc-glass color. I had to create another color for each glass color by making copies of ptc-glass and shifting color bars, but my model instances change color, and I can see through them.
The drawback comes when multiple instances are open. All open instances change color to match the last instance opened. If you change windows and regenerate, the color reverts to the table specification for the instance, but it also changes the color of the other open instances. There may be a solution to this, but I have not investigated that at this point.
I added to this information from what I tried that I had been told, but original method credit goes to my co-worker Chris Childress at Otis Elevator in Bloomington, Indiana.
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