The system disclosed is used to display multiple activities that act on the same component or set of components, such as walls, slabs, columns in a building etc., in a four dimensional (3D plus time) simulation Abstract of the planned or actual design, procurement and construction schedule. The user is provided with flexibility in assigning different colors and effects to different types of activities required for the design, procurement or construction of projects. These assignments provide the information necessary for 4D models to portray the design, procurement, and construction processes more accurately in a 4D simulation and display these processes in a way that is more easily understood by the viewers of 4D models. In the preferred embodiment, this is done by having the ability to overlay text in 2D or 3D on an animated 4D simulation to give the viewer of the 4D model additional information about the activities that are displayed in 4D simulation.