Change Color of Individual Faces in FreeCAD

Changing the color and visual appearance of individual faces in FreeCAD allows you to highlight specific features, differentiate mating surfaces, or prepare multi-material designs without separating the underlying solid geometry. This process is handled through the Display Properties panel, where FreeCAD provides a dedicated tool to override the default part color on a per-element basis.

Step-by-Step Guide to Coloring Individual Faces

  1. Select the Object
    In the tree view or the 3D viewport, click the 3D body or part containing the faces you want to modify.

  2. Open the Appearance Settings
    Right-click the selected object in the tree view and choose Set appearance... from the context menu. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + D or navigate to View > Appearance in the top menu bar.

  3. Open the Face Color Tool
    In the Display properties task panel that appears on the left side of the screen, click the Set Colors... button (in some versions, this is labeled Part colors).

  4. Select the Target Faces
    Ensure the Box selection or standard selection mode is active within the panel. Click directly on the face (or multiple faces while holding Ctrl) in the 3D viewport that you want to recolor. The selected faces will highlight.

  5. Choose and Apply the Color
    Click the color box next to the selection tools to open the color picker. Choose your desired color and click OK. The chosen color immediately applies to the highlighted faces.

  6. Adjust Additional Properties (Optional)
    From the same panel, you can adjust the transparency of the individual faces to see internal geometry or differentiate surface finishes.

  7. Save and Close
    Once all faces have been customized, click OK in the face color selection panel, and then click Close in the main Display properties panel.

Restoring Default Colors

To revert customized faces back to the body's default appearance, reopen the Set Colors... menu, select the modified faces, and click the Default or Remove button. Closing the panel will restore the primary object color across all selected areas.