With a color view, object properties are visualized with colors. The requested information is shown as colors within the view(s). The colors used in a color view are generated randomly. If you want to use specific colors in your color view, you can customize them. 

Steps:

1. Open the diagram or view for which you want to generate the color view.
   
   
2. Determine the selection for your color view.
   
   If you want to generate colors for a specific type of object in the diagram or view instead of all objects in it, select an object of this type in the diagram or view or in the model browser.
   
   If you want to generate colors for all objects in the diagram or view, select the diagram or view in the model browser to make it the selection for your color view.
   
   
3. On the View tab, in the View Filter group, click Colors.
   
   
4. The window that appears shows all profile properties of the selected element. Select the property that must be shown in color. You can choose more than one property.
   
   If you are generating a view within an ArchiMate^® model, you can also select metrics if these are present in the model.
   
   
   
   
5. Click OK to generate the view.

In the example below the maintenance costs of the application components are displayed in color. The legend of the color view specifies which color belongs to which value of the selected metric.

Color view for business processes

Color of nested (graphic) objects

You can determine whether (nested) graphic objects must be colored as well when using a color view, and how. This can be specified at the graphics options for diagrams and views (only as default view setting). There you can specify whether these nested objects should be colored or not, and if they need to be colored, if the foreground or the background is colored.

Example of coloring nested objects with the foreground colored