First introduced in the 2016 version, furnishing items may come with additional information that allows you to change the surface finish of each layer, according to the specifications made available by the item manufacturer. This feature allows you to download and store the item only once, yet be able to choose between all available surface finishes simply and quickly.
For a given item, there will only be one entry in the catalogue, whose surface finish you can then change through the Navigation window. Right click on the item and select the “Finish” command. The finishing window will appear and show you available finishes from the manufacturer, as shown in the image below.
Variations in the surface finish (bound to a particular working code) will not affect the project estimate, although the information regarding the selected finish for each item layer will appear.
Configurable items can be locked or unlocked; if unlocked, you are not bound to the finishes made available by the manufacturer, but can also select other (generic) finishing materials, by dragging them from the Materials section of the Components window. If locked, you can only choose among the finishes made available by the manufacturer. Unless a manufacturer explicitly requests that the finishes be locked, the item will be provided unlocked.
This feature is only available for elements created on or after January 1st, 2016.