Surface classes and appearance
Understand the difference between an object, its surface classification and its visible fill or material.
An object’s identity and its surface appearance are different. A pool can contain water, coping and a surround; a structure can contain members with different materials. Surface Class describes a surface’s classification, while its fill or material describes its visible finish.
Read the selected target
Select the object, face or member you intend to edit and check the Inspector. A multi-part object can expose appearance for its parts; do not assume a material chosen for one part applies to every other part.
Classify a supported surface
Use Surface Class to choose the appropriate selectable leaf. Open a family submenu to find its choices. A preset and a direct class override can both contribute to the resolved class; Auto from preset is available when a direct override can be cleared.
Choose a visual finish
Set the supported fill kind, color, material or photo separately. A visual material does not change a fence into a different object family. When a catalog material conflicts with the current surface class, inspect the mismatch message and choose whether to align the class or retain the intended classification.
Use class-specific appearance controls
Supported Meadow, Water, Glass and Mirror surfaces offer Edit style… for their dedicated appearance settings. Other classes use their available fill and material controls. The effect in a plan, 3D view and photo view can differ.
Check downstream results
When classification changes, inspect the relevant quantity, rule or rendering result for the project. Do not infer a construction specification, clearance rule or exact net-area calculation solely from a visible class name or material thumbnail.