Tip: Understanding Wall Materials

[katalyst777]

Seems like we get a lot of questions from people that don't know how to change the materials on their walls, or have changed their wall materials and don't know how to get them back, like if they have a glass shower wall in a bathroom that they've "spray painted" a different material to the whole room and overwrote the wall's material based on its type.

From the program's Help:

Wall Materials

There are several ways that materials can be assigned to walls, depending on how the walls and the rooms they define have been defined.

• When you draw a wall, it uses the materials specified in its wall type definition.
   
• You can change the surface material of an individual wall in the Wall Specification dialog.
• If you select “Use Default” as the material and the wall is used to define a room, the program refers to the material specified in the Room Specification dialog.
   
• You can also change a room’s wall material in the Room Specification dialog.
• To restore the default Wall Type material, select Use Default in the Select Library Object dialog.
   
• Wall materials can also be changed using the Material Painter tool, but bear in mind that the entire room will often be affected, rather than the individual wall.
   
• When neither the wall nor the room has a material assigned to it, the program refers to the general material for walls in the Material Defaults dialog.

[DavidJPotter]

The above data is so vitally important to new users. I have seen many a plan file started by new users that was so confused by misuse of applying materials any old way so as to make such a plan file useless, do it right please.

 

DJP

[katalyst777]

• Wall materials can also be changed using the Material Painter tool, but bear in mind that the entire room will often be affected, rather than the individual wall.

Looking over the new features in 2017, I think this one has changed.

"Paint One Wall. Quickly change the material on the surface of a single wall in a room."

If I'm reading this right, the Material Painter can now be used to change the materials on a single wall, instead of the whole room.

[marceline]

this is very helpful, thank you!

[KayNine]

Looking over the new features in 2017, I think this one has changed.

"Paint One Wall. Quickly change the material on the surface of a single wall in a room."

If I'm reading this right, the Material Painter can now be used to change the materials on a single wall, instead of the whole room.

 

good update!

[NeatPie]

Yes, you can now paint a single wall in the new version.

[foxypickle]

any update to wall material in 2018?

[cosworth]

Hi I'm using an older version, 15.2.0.87x37 and I've been having a few problems with wall materials. I set the default in edit defaults but it doesn't change anything. Even starting a new project it still uses the same exterior wall covering. It is defaulting to a light blue lap for a "Siding Thin" I have been searching through the help files but I have been unable to find anything. I have had this problem for some time, but as I was only doing layouts it didn't matter, but now I have to do some concepts it's causing some issues. I have tried changing the settings for each wall, but this doesn't help when a gable end renders differently. Any help would be appreciated other than "buy the latest version"

Thanks in advance.

[DavidJPotter]

3 hours ago, cosworth said:

I set the default in edit defaults but it doesn't change anything.

 

If you want a wall type to be set a particular way as your "Default" you must define that wall type by way of  "Wall Types - Define Wall Type - Exterior Layer material setting" in "Edit - Default Settings - Walls - Exterior Wall". Using that method will then get you a universal change of that chosen default wall type when used. You use the "Material Tab - Exterior Material" to change only a single wall instance. I believe what you mentioned above is in "Edit - Default Settings - Materials - Exterior Wall" which sets how walls auto-generated by the software as attic walls are assigned and is NOT a global default for all exterior walls.

 

I am sorry that this can be rather confusing to newer users (several apparent "Default" settings for an apparent single object). What is what is fully explained in your free "Reference Manual" by subject (found under the "Help" menu - read Reference Manual"). It requires some study of the Reference Manual and then some practice to prove your understanding of what was studied but is the make-break of competence with this stuff.

 

DJP

[lisalisa]

I know this was over a year ago, but hopefully.....

 

When I go into Edit - Default Settings - Walls I see Exterior and Interior and the ability to select different types but not the ability to change the materials.  So I can use Brick-6 or Siding-6 but I can't change what type of siding.  In Edit - Default Settings - Materials, there is no item "Exterior Wall".  I would very much like to change the default siding used but can't find where to do this.