AppearanceSurfaceTypes Enumerator

Description

The kind of surface a new Appearance represents when created via `Appearances.add(name, surfaceType)`. Determines the set of properties the appearance exposes and how those properties are interpreted at render time.


Defined in namespace "adsk::core" and the header file is <Core\CoreTypeDefs.h>

Values

Name Value Description
MetallicAppearanceSurface 1 Metallic conductor — the appearance's `color` drives the F0 reflectance directly (no separate albedo/F0 split). The right choice for chrome, copper, gold, brushed steel, etc.
OpaqueAppearanceSurface 0 Opaque dielectric — base color, roughness, optional emission, optional translucency. This is the default surface type for `Appearances.add(name)` and the right choice for plastics, paints, rubber, ceramics, and other non-metallic, non-transparent materials.
TransparentAppearanceSurface 2 Transparent volume — uses index of refraction, attenuation distance, and transparent color. The right choice for glass, water, clear plastics, and tinted transmissive materials. Use the underlying `appearanceProperties` (transparent_distance, transparent_ior, transparent_color) to configure transmission behaviour.

Version

Introduced in version July 2026