Member Styles

Members can be displayed in one of four styles: stick, solid opaque, solid transparent, and solid transparent main.
Once you have changed the form of a member, that member remains in that form as you change views.
  • General Overview
  • Related Tools

Examples of stick and solid forms:


The same model, with members shown in stick (left) and solid opaque (right). Two other solid member styles are also available for solid display.

Three solid member styles:


solid opaque
solid transparent
solid transparent main

Solid opaque = opaque main material & connection material.

Solid transparent = transparent main material & connection material.

Solid transparent main = transparent main material, opaque connection material.


Reasons to display members in a solid form:

  • To use a surface tool such as Snap to Surface, the material must first be displayed in one of the three solid forms.
  • To review or edit material settings using Edit Material, the material must first be displayed in one of the three solid forms.
  • Graphic modeling operations such as Material Add, Add Hole, or Add Bolt should be performed on members displayed in one of the three solid forms.
  • If you are checking work in sections, it may be advantageous for you to show the part of the 3D model in solid form while the rest remains in stick form. Members changed to any of the three solid forms will remain in that form when you Open a different view.

Reasons members are displayed in stick form:

  • Any member can be displayed one of the three solid forms so long as that member has undergone Create Solids. Members which have not undergone Create Solids can only be shown in stick form.
  • Sometimes the best way to see the shape of a structure is to display it in an isometric view in stick form.
  • Members that have been marked for processing are automatically displayed in stick form as a result of their being marked.
  • The member workline of a column in stick form is drawn along the neutral axis of the member. For a beam, the workline is drawn along the beam's top flange center line.