Presentation of Renovation

[CS1]

I am doing a renovation job and I want to produce an image with the existing structure solid and the addition as greyed (maybe visa-versa).

For other renos I have all my demo/existing/new walls etc on one layer and control there visibility with classes, not sure if this is the correct way but it works for me great, I am able to use the eyedropper to quickly change an existing wall to a demolished wall etc.

The only problem with this is...

I have set up my viewports to show various perspectives, I have hidden all the demo classes, I have greyed the addition classes and left the "existing" classes as solid, but the grey classes show as solid. They look grey in top/Plan view but not any other view.

I know I could seperate the demo/exist from the new, using layers, and then I could grey the layers, but that seems to be the only advantage of seperating the info to layers.

What am I doing wrong?

[CS1]

PS. I posted a similar question awhile ago and didnt really get any feedback.

http://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=7&Number=106324&Searchpage=1&Main=22761&Words=%2Bgrey+%2Bclasses&topic=0&Search=true#Post106324

[CS1]

There is a video on the NNA website for Version 12 showing an addition of a deck etc being greyed in 3D using layers, would anyone else put the addition of the deck on a seperate layer?

http://www.nemetschek.net/training/library.php?movie=12movies

[mike m oz]

Yes because its a good way of discriminating the new and the old so you can show what's new and whats old in 3D views. It also makes working on the new easier because you can 'switch' the rest off.

[Don@Black Dog]

I always put the additions onto their own layers, for the simple reason Mike stated, it lets you turn them on or off, or grey, at will. It also lets you do several design options that you can easily access through the saved views, or in a view port, changing the layers as needed. I have also used this to make the outside walls of a room transparent to allow a fly-over (when doing an inside room, for instance.

[CS1]

Cool thanks guys I will change the way I organize my reno jobs.