When you load a model in the NDEVR engine — whether it’s a 3D scan, CAD part, or imported design — the engine decides how it should look. Color, transparency, shading, reflectivity, even whether the inside is visible — all of that comes from something called a material.
But you don’t need to assign these settings one by one to every surface. Instead, NDEVR uses an inheritance system, which is just a smart way of saying: Settings flow from the top of the model down to the smallest pieces automatically.
Every model in the NDEVR engine can decide how it should look using one of three methods:
This gives you a lot of control, without needing to manually set visual properties on every part.
Imagine you’re reviewing a construction scan:
| Model | Material Mode | Specified Layer | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entire building | 1️⃣ Specify | Global Layer Override | Set to grey |
| ├── Room 101 model | 2️⃣ Inherit from parent model | – | Also grey (inherited from building) |
| │ └── Electrical conduit | 3️⃣ Inherit from layer | Safety Layer (yellow) | yellow (inherited from layer) |
| │ └── Floor surface | 2️⃣ Inherit from parent model | – | Grey (inherits from Room 101 → Entire building material) |
| ├── Piping | 1️⃣ Specify | Mechanical Layer (green) | Set to blue |
| │ └── Pipe Junction | 2️⃣ Inherit from parent model | – | Also blue |
| │ └── Pipe bracket | 3️⃣ Inherit from layer | – | Green (inheriting indirectly from mechanical layer) |
You didn’t have to manually select a look for each item — the inheritance system handled it.
