Phase status controls the visual representation of model elements in views.
This video demonstrates the following:
Phasing tools control the display of elements to show how they relate to the timeline of the project. When you use phasing in a project, the elements in the model take on statuses that are related to the project timeline. The status of an element controls the visual representation of the element.
All elements in the project take on 1 of 4 possible statuses: Existing, Demolished, New, or Temporary. The status assigned to an element is dependent on 2 factors: the Phase parameter of the view, and the Phase Created/Phase Demolished parameter of the element.
You can select the Phase Created in the Properties palette from the list of all phases defined in the project. The Phase Created parameter can also be set indirectly when you place the element in the project. Here's how: The Phase parameter of the view that is active when you place the element is automatically assigned to the element. For example, if you place a wall in a view whose Phase is set to Existing, then the Phase Created parameter for the object is set to Existing. Likewise, when a view's phase is set to Phase 1, then the Phase Created parameter for any object you place in the view is set to Phase 1.
The same principle applies when you use the Demolish tool on an element: the Phase parameter of the view is assigned to the Phase Demolished parameter of the object.
To summarize: An element's status is determined by both the Phase parameter of the view and the Phase Created/Phase Demolished parameters.
Now, we look at how these two factors combine to create the 4 possible statuses:
When Phase Created is for a future Phase in the timeline, the elements have no status assigned to them and are not displayed.
The status of each element is used with the Phase Filter settings of the view to control the visual representation of the elements across all the views of the project.