---
title: "Customizing BIM Display"
content_type: tutorial
url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization/unit/modifying-the-viewer/tutorial/customizing-bim-display?language=en"
language: en
container_type: course
container_title: "Basic Reflect Customization "
container_url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization.md?language=en&version=2019.3"
unit_title: "Modifying the Viewer"
unit_url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization/unit/modifying-the-viewer?language=en&version=2019.3"
standalone_markdown_url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/customizing-bim-display.md?language=en&version=2019.3"
previous_title: "Customizing the UI layout"
previous_url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization/unit/modifying-the-viewer/tutorial/customizing-the-ui-layout?language=en&version=2019.3"
previous_markdown_url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization/unit/modifying-the-viewer/tutorial/customizing-the-ui-layout.md?language=en&version=2019.3"
next_title: "Customizing Post-Processing Effects"
next_url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization/unit/modifying-the-viewer/tutorial/customizing-post-processing-effects?language=en&version=2019.3"
next_markdown_url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization/unit/modifying-the-viewer/tutorial/customizing-post-processing-effects.md?language=en&version=2019.3"
difficulty: intermediate
duration_minutes: 20
unity_version:
  - "2019.3"
supported_unity_versions:
  - name: "2019.4"
    url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/customizing-bim-display.md?language=en&version=2019.4"
  - name: "2019.3"
    url: "https://learn.unity.com/course/basic-reflect-customization/unit/modifying-the-viewer/tutorial/customizing-bim-display.md?language=en&version=2019.3"
last_updated: "2026-08-04T14:23:34.000Z"
---

# Customizing BIM Display

Learn to customize the Reflect Viewer filtering system using highlight and transparent Materials for selected and unselected Scene elements.

In this tutorial, we will explore how you can customize the Reflect Viewer filtering system. Specifically, we’ll explore how the filtering system manages Materials that are applied when the system is activated. The filtering system uses two Materials: a highlight Material that is applied when an element is selected in a Scene and a transparent Material that is applied to the Scene’s unselected objects.

## Materials

- [Customizing_BIM_Display_Complete.zip](https://unity-connect-prd.storage.googleapis.com/20200512/768c1e43-ec9a-4ed9-ad1f-af163069c677/Customizing_BIM_Display_Complete.zip)

## 1. Exploring the Highlighting System

Typically, when Reflect Viewer’s highlighting system is activated and an element is selected, the selected object is highlighted while the rest of the project elements become transparent (**Figure 01**). To achieve this, Reflect Viewer assigns a transparent material (1) to all unselected objects and a highlight material to the selected object (2).

![Figure 01: The highlighting system](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/650f470d-c6d8-457b-bcd8-f41c34da4751_image11.png)

You can customize the Materials that are used in the highlighting system.

**1.** Select the Metadata Canvas in the Project hierarchy under **Reflect** > **Canvas** (**Figure 02**).

![Figure 02: Metadata Canvas](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/c5eb8739-0082-43de-b564-97c4e346f163_image5.png)

**2.** In the Inspector, select the Transparent Material slot (**Figure 03**)_._ This is where the Transparent material is assigned_._

![Figure 03: Transparent Material slot](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/03d2452d-19f7-4769-80d3-9a9174ea14e0_image6.png)

The highlight Material can be found in the Inspector as well. In the Hierarchy, navigate to **Reflect** > **Canvas** > **Metadata Canvas** > **MenuTemplate** > **MenuItemTemplate**.

Once you navigate to that element and click on it, you will find the Selected Material slot in the Inspector (**Figure 04**).

![Figure 04: Selected Material slot](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/14d82d0c-b73f-451c-b380-a8dfd03d117b_image7.png)

## 2. Changing the Materials

We’ll now create a new Material and apply it to the Transparent Material and Selected Material slots.

**1.** Create a folder under your project Assets folder and call it _Materials_ (**Figure 05**).

![Figure 05: Materials folder](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/67a89ddd-60ee-4228-bbce-03f59caf4439_image4.png)

**2.** Inside this folder, create a Material called _Outline_new_ (**Figure 06**) and choose the color and/or effect you’d like applied to the highlighted object. In the example below, a Standard Shader is used with an orange color (**Figure 07**).

![Figure 06: New Material](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/7c4b6d2d-8955-4774-b9d0-04982b2b7234_image12.png)

![Figure 07: Setting the color of the highlight Material](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/d6842b71-11ad-47fe-8e22-669c06933bcd_image2.png)

**3.** Create a second Material and call it _Transparent_red_ (**Figure 08**).

![Figure 08: The new Transparent Material in the Materials folder.](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/fea77868-a795-457e-9463-2ef7fe6b7397_image3.png)

**4.** Change the Albedo color to red, or any color you prefer (**Figure 09**).

![Figure 09: Selecting the color of the Transparent Material](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/79f04bb0-320e-4a82-bc9d-07763e86803c_image14.png)

**5.** In the Scene Hierarchy, navigate to **Reflect** > **Canvas** > **Metadata Canvas**.

**6.** With the element selected, in the Inspector locate the Transparent Material slot (**Figure 10**).

![Figure 10: Transparent Material slot](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/6c867bc5-748f-472d-903e-7955afc6bade_image8.png)

**7.** Drag _Transparent_red_ into the **Transparent Material** slot to replace the existing Material (**Figure 11**).

![Figure 11: The Transparent Material slot with the new Material added.](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/57d4f524-9b1e-4cbc-8751-a3e22b2ca01e_image9.png)

**8.** In the Scene Hierarchy, navigate to **Reflect** > **Canvas** > **Metadata Canvas** > **MenuTemplate** > **MenuItemTemplate** (**Figure 12**).

![Figure 12: The MenuItem Template](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/5b192f37-feea-4e4d-814f-d87b2a79f2c4_image15.png)

**9.** Locate the Selected Material slot in the Inspector (**Figure 13**).

![Figure 13: The Selected Material slot](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/6d1c583e-0c8f-4350-9072-4d9de59f4bc5_image7.png)

**10.** Drag _Outline_new_ into the **Selected Material** slot (**Figure 14**).

![Figure 14: The Selected Material slot with the new Material added.](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/9755da92-89fd-431e-bc69-f1b755bd5ca4_image10.png)

**11.** Run the Viewer and select any item in the Filter list. You should now see the new Materials applied (**Figure 15**).

![Figure 15: New Materials applied](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20200512/learn/images/49cb77cc-6190-4329-9f01-3c24c98a48b9_image1.png)

## 3. Next Steps

This tutorial showed you how to change Materials when using the filtering options in the Reflect Viewer. Understanding this process will allow you to further customize your projects and explore how the Viewer Prefab fits together.