Space Types and Opacity Control
Snaptrude now treats space type as a first-class property of every Space and Flooring object. Each space type carries its own default opacity, its own default area-type behavior, and its own presence in Present Mode view styles. This gives you consistent project-wide control over how different kinds of space read on the canvas without touching individual objects.
This article covers how space types work, the default opacity values, how the new Envelope space type behaves, and how Space Type opacity interacts with Present Mode view-style opacity.
Space type defaults
Space Type | Default Opacity | Default Area Type |
Room | 100% | Net |
Balcony | 100% | Net |
Road | 100% | Excluded |
Garden | 100% | Excluded |
Deck | 100% | Net |
Pool | 100% | Net |
Walkway | 100% | Excluded |
Program Block | 30% | Net |
Envelope | 30% | Excluded |
Program Block and Envelope default to 30% opacity so you can trace reference PDFs, JPEGs, and CAD underlays through them, or present 3D views with translucent massing volumes.
Editing opacity by space type
Space type opacity is saved at the project level and synced across collaborators in real time, so every editor sees the same values.
To change the opacity of a space type:
Select any object of that space type on the canvas.
Open the Object Property Panel (OPP).
Adjust the Opacity slider under Space Type.
The change applies to every object of that space type across the project.
To reset an object's space type to the default, use the space type dropdown in the OPP.
Envelope as a space type
Envelope is a dedicated space type for buildable envelopes and massing volumes. It behaves like other excluded-area space types in Program Mode, so envelope areas do not inflate your net or gross totals.
Key behaviors:
Agent mapping. Buildable Envelope and Building Massing shapes generated by the Envelope agent automatically map to the Envelope space type and department.
Present Mode layer. Envelope has its own layer under View Style, matching the Program Block properties pattern. You can adjust its view-style opacity independently of other space types.
Sketch to BIM. Running Sketch to BIM on an Envelope object generates the full BIM stack: flooring, walls, floor slabs, and roofs.
Space type opacity vs. Present Mode view-style opacity
Space Type opacity (set on the OPP) and Present Mode view-style opacity (set under View Style) are two separate layers that stack on each other.
Space Type opacity is a project-level value applied to every object of that space type.
Present Mode view-style opacity is a per-view setting that adjusts presentation appearance on top of the space-type value.
You can still adjust presentation fills per view without changing the underlying project-level opacity.
Known limitations (v3.40.0)
Per-object opacity overrides are not supported. Opacity is set at the space-type level.
Envelope Sketch to BIM generates the standard BIM stack; Envelope-specific rule sets are not yet supported.