Grey patches in the 3D plan

Why some surfaces in the 3D plan show plain grey, and how to paint them or hide them.

In the 3D plan, each surface of your proxy model takes its colour from the closest renders that can see it. A surface no render can see is left a light, plain grey.

Symptoms

• Grey tops on tall cupboards, fridges or shelves.
• A whole room grey.
• Whole walls or floors grey, even though there’s a render in the room.

1. No render can see that surface

Renders are taken at eye height, so they can’t see the tops of things taller than about 1.6 m, or behind and under joinery. The 3D plan looks down from above, so those surfaces show.

• Small patches on top of joinery: expected. If one bothers you, leave that piece out of the proxy model.
• Outside of the building: the outer faces of external walls are grey unless you have an outdoor render. Leave out anything outside you don’t want shown.

2. A room has no saved render

A room with no render in the tour is grey all over. Check why:

• No camera there. Add a camera, render it, export the points again, then press Replace renders and drop the new render with the new points file. See Replace or add renders later.
• **The render was Not used.** Its name didn’t match a camera. See Camera names don’t match.
• It’s a trial. A trial project saves only the first 10 renders, so rooms beyond those are grey. Publishing saves them all. See Trial vs published tours.

3. Faces in the model point the wrong way

A render only paints the front of a surface. If a wall or floor in the proxy model was built inside out, its front faces away from every camera and it stays grey, even with a render right next to it.

1. In 3ds Max, select that part of the proxy.
2. Flip its faces so they face into the room, for example with a Normal modifier.
3. Export the model again and drop it with Replace renders. Your renders, room names and hotspots stay.

4. A camera is inside the model

If a camera point sits inside a wall, a joinery block or under the floor, its render can’t see out and paints nothing. This usually means the model moved or the units changed after the points were exported. Export the points and model again from the same scene. See A render doesn’t line up.

Tip: these grey patches are a 3D plan thing. In walk mode, a surface no render can see takes its colour from the nearest render instead.