Modify material mappings for Trimble Connect Visualizer

By default, Trimble Connect Visualizer attempts to map the materials used in Tekla Structures to the material types used in the Trimble Connect Visualizer material catalog. You can also set material type mappings manually to define how you want materials to look in Trimble Connect Visualizer.

You can currently map the Tekla Structures materials to the following pre-defined material types in Trimble Connect Visualizer:

Asphalt
Concrete
Dark gravel
Default: renders objects with white matte material
Glass
Grass
Ground
Light Gravel
Steel
Timber
Water

In Trimble Connect Visualizer, you can currently only render the material type of objects, not their material finish. This means that paints or other finishes are not visible in Trimble Connect Visualizer.

To manually set the material type mappings used in Trimble Connect Visualizer:

On the View tab in Tekla Structures, click the arrow on the right side of Visualize.
On the menu, select Visualizer material type mapping.
In the Visualizer settings dialog box, select the desired material type mapping options in the lists on the right side of the related Tekla Structures materials.

Leaving the option blank renders the color of the Tekla Structures class as a material that is similar to plastic. Using the blank option can be useful if you need to show the class colors to communicate an aspect of the structural design.
Click OK to update the material type mapping.

To save the material type mapping as an XML file, do either of the following:


To	Do this
Save the material mapping to the model folder	When Trimble Connect Visualizer asks you if you want to save the material mapping to the model, click Yes. The material type mapping is saved in the model folder under the \attributes folder. The file name is VisualizerMaterials.xml. The material type mapping is saved for all users of the model, including the users that edit the model using Tekla Model Sharing or the multi-user mode.
Save the material mapping to local application data	When Trimble Connect Visualizer asks you if you want to save the material mapping to the model, click No. The material type mapping is saved in the \Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\Trimble Connect Visualizer folder. The file name is VisualizerMaterials.xml. The material type mapping now applies to all projects that you are working on.