Display Modes

Tools > Options > View > Display Modes

The Display modes options manage the appearance of the viewport display modes.

The built-in display modes are:

Wireframe

Sets the viewport display to unshaded wireframe.

Shaded

Sets the viewport to opaque shaded mode. Shaded mode uses a mesh to shade surfaces using the layer colors.

Raytraced

Sets the viewport to a raytraced render preview mode.

Rendered

Shades the viewport with a simulation of the rendered view.

Ghosted

Sets viewport display so surfaces are translucent.

X-Ray

Shades with isoparametric curves not obscured by objects in front.

All wireframe and point objects are displayed, even if they would normally be hidden by surfaces that are in front of them in the viewport.

Technical

Uses real-time silhouettes and intersections, creases, borders, blended shaded and rendered display. Objects behind other objects are occluded.

Artistic

Uses an image background and soft lines to create a pencil drawing effect.

Pen

Uses white with black lines to simulate a pen drawing.

Arctic

Uses white for all objects and the background with soft shadows to give the feeling of the Arctic.

New

Create a new custom display mode.

Copy

Copy a display mode.

Delete

Delete a custom display mode.

Import

Import a display mode (.ini) file.

To set up a display mode from an ini file

In the Options dialog box, click View, and then click Display Modes.
Click the Import button.
Browse to the .ini file you want to use.
In the list on the left, click the new display mode created by importing the ini file.
Revise the options if needed.
This may be necessary if the display option includes an image background.

Export

Export a display mode.

Restore Defaults

Restores the default system values. All custom display mode settings will be lost.

Settings

Not all of the settings described below are available for all display modes.

Display Modes

Display mode options

Name

Name of display mode.

Viewport settings

Background

Specifies the viewport background color.

Use application settings

Use settings specified in Appearance > Color Options.

Solid color

To select a color

Click the color swatch.

Image file

Specifies an image for the viewport background.

Image file name

Type or browse for the file name.

Gradient 2 colors

Blends between a top and bottom color.

Top color / Bottom color

To select a color

Click the color swatch.

Gradient 4 colors

Blends between four colors starting from the corners of the viewport.

Top left color / Top right color / Bottom left color / Bottom right color

To select a color

Click the color swatch.

Use render settings

Displays the colors and lighting used by the settings for background specified by the current renderer.

Transparent

Renders viewport backgrounds using black and a 0.0% alpha value. This works for rendered output and for ViewCaptureToFile.

Shading settings

Shade objects

Sets the viewport to opaque shaded mode.

X-Ray all wires

Shades with isocurves not obscured by objects in front.

Flat shading

Shades the current viewport with no smoothing so the individual render mesh faces are visible.

See: FlatShade.

Shade vertex colors

Shades using an object's vertex colors.

See: ComputeVertexColors .

Color and material usage

Object's color

Use the color specified in the object's properties.

Gloss

Sets the gloss for the color.

Transparency

Sets the transparency for the color.

Single color for all objects

Ignores object colors and uses a single color for the shading.

Gloss

Sets the gloss for the color.

Transparency

Sets the transparency for the color.

Single object color

To select a color

Click the color swatch.

Rendering material

Shades using rendering material.

Custom material for all objects

Click the Customize button to specify the custom material.

Customize

Opens the Custom Object Attributes Settings dialog box.

Backface settings

Changes the color of the backface (the side opposite of the surface normal direction).

Use front face settings

No color change.

Cull backfaces

Surfaces viewed from the back will be transparent.

Use object's color

Surfaces viewed from the back use the color specified in the object's Properties.

Gloss

Sets the gloss for the backface material. This can be different from the front face material.

Transparency

Sets the transparency for the backface material. This can be different from the front face material.

Single color for all backfaces

All backfaces display a specified color regardless of the object color.

Gloss

Sets the gloss for the backface material. This can be different from the front face material.

Transparency

Sets the transparency for the backface material. This can be different from the front face material.

Single backface color

Sets a single color for all backfaces.

To select a color

Click the color swatch.

Rendering material

Shades using rendering material.

Custom material for all backfaces

Click the Customize button to specify the custom material.

Customize

Opens the Custom Object Attributes Settings dialog box.

Shading effects

Standard shading

Uses normal solid shading.

Parallel lines

Uses parallel lines for shading.

Width (in pixels)

Width of the lines.

Separation (in lines)

Distance between lines.

Rotation (in degrees)

Rotation angle of lines.

Visibility

Specifies which elements will be visible in the display mode.

Show isocurves

Shows object isocurves.

Isocurves on (left) and off (right).

Show tangent edges

Tangent polysurface edges are smooth edges between different faces of a polysurface.

Show tangent seams

Tangent seams are smooth edges that close surfaces such spheres or cylinders.

Shows mesh wires.

Show mesh wires

Toggles visibility of welded mesh edges.

Show curves

Shows curves objects.

Show lights

Shows lights objects

Show clipping planes

Shows clipping planes objects.

Show text

Shows text blocks.

Show annotations

Shows annotations objects.

Show points

Shows points objects.

Show pointclouds

Shows pointclouds objects

Surface edge settings

Edge thickness

Sets the thickness in pixels for surface edges.

Color reduction %

Sets the "fade" effect for surface edges.

Light objects

Use lights on layers that are off

This setting applies to lights that are on turned-off layers and lights that are hidden.

Draw lights using light color

Draws lights using the color of the light rather than the color of the light object.

Lighting scheme

See Lighting scheme settings.

Clipping plane objects

See Clipping plane settings.

Grid

See Grid Settings.

Objects

See Objects settings.

Lines

See Lines settings.

Shadows

See Shadows settings.

Other Settings

See Other Settings.

Save options for use on other computers

OptionsExport

Save Options settings to a file.

OptionsImport

Restore Options settings from a file.

Related command

SetDisplayMode

Toolbar	Menu	Shortcuts
Not on toolbars.	Not on menus.	Ctrl + Alt + G Ghosted R Rendered S Shaded W Wireframe X XRay

Toolbar

Shortcuts

Not on toolbars.

Not on menus.

Ctrl + Alt +

G Ghosted

R Rendered

S Shaded

W Wireframe

X XRay

The SetDisplayMode command specifies a display mode.

To set a mode name that has spaces, use either of the following formats:

-_SetDisplayMode Mode=MyMode

-_SetDisplayMode "My Mode"

Command-line options
Viewport	Active Sets the display mode for only the active viewport. All Sets the display mode for all viewports.
Mode	Lists all of the current display modes in the model.

Command-line options

Viewport

Active

Sets the display mode for only the active viewport.

All

Sets the display mode for all viewports.

Mode

Lists all of the current display modes in the model.