Layers

Layers are drawing aids intended to help you organize your plot. They are like transparent acetate sheets upon which you can draw. In the same way that you can view several transparent sheets at once by placing them on top of each other, you can hide and unhide layers by choosing which sheets are in the stack. The top sheet is the layer that new objects are placed on and is called the current layer. You can also merge layers together if you decide that you need to combine one or more layers.

To find out the layer to which any object in your plot is assigned, just hover over the object with your cursor in any of the Wireframe views. A tooltip appears listing the object name and its layer. This is especially useful when you are working with multiple layers, some of which have the same color.

Layers can be organized into Layer Groups in the Layer Database window. The Layer Groups feature is enabled or disabled from the Document Options window. Layer Groups can be created, viewed, modified and deleted in the Layer Database window. For more information, see Layer groups.

Creating layers

To create new layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. To create a new layer, click the New icon.

The New Layer button.

3. Type a new name for your layer (for example, “Stage”).
4. Choose the color for the objects in the Layer, from the Layer Color color select box.
5. By default, the new layer is ungrouped but you may choose to set the new layer as part of a group if available from the Layer Group drop-down list.
6. Choose from the options: (WYSIWYG maintains this setting for the next layer that you create.)

• Make Current sets the new layer as the current active layer.
• Add Layer to current Scene adds the new layer to the current active Scene.
• Add Layer to all Scenes adds the new layer to all the Scenes.

7. Click OK.
8. To make a layer and all objects on the layer visible on the plot and in Shaded view, select the Visible icon. If not selected, the layer is not visible and is not, therefore, editable.
9. To make a layer and all objects on the layer editable on the plot and in Shaded view, select the Editable icon. If not selected, the layer is not editable and is not, therefore, visible.

Tip: You might want to cancel the selection of a layer when you are finished working with it to avoid possible errors while working on other parts of the plot. This is similar to freezing in AutoCAD.

10. To change the color of the layer, click Color Select.

Note: It is recommended that you select different colors for each layer so as to easily identify the layers on the plot.

Tip: To learn more about the colors in which objects can appear, see Objects’ colors in WYSIWYG.

11. To change the line weight of the selected layer, choose the applicable thickness from the Line Weight drop-down list. If you leave Default selected, the line weight from the Document Options window is applied to the selected layer. The line weight that you select applies to all objects on this layer (including library objects, pipes, and truss) and is visible in all Wireframe views in all modes.
12. To set a different Print Color for a layer (while preserving the actual Layer Color), choose the color from the Color Select box under the Print column. By default, the Print Color is set to the Layer Color, and this is identified by the Color Select box shown with a checker pattern to identify them as the same. When the Print Color is set to a different color, the selected color will appear in the Color Select box.

Note: The print color will be displayed in Layouts and New Plots when it is set to a color.

13. Select the checkbox on the Greyscale column to override the color of the layer and display it in greyscale, while preserving the actual layer color. This will display the layer(s) as grey, while another layer, which may be more important in the plot, will be displayed in their color and be more visible in the plot.
14. To view the properties of a layer (for example, name, color, and inventory of objects drawn on the layer), click the Layer Properties icon. For more information on these properties, see Layer properties.

The Layer Properties button.

15. Before closing the dialog box, set your current layer by highlighting it, and then clicking Set Current. Alternately, you can set the current layer buy double-clicking in the first column on the left, beside a layer name.

The Set Current Layer button.

Note: The current layer is the layer that you are working on at the moment – any object that you draw is placed on this layer and assumes the layer's default properties when it is drawn. A check mark appears beside the name of the current layer.

16. To view and modify the scenes in which a layer is included, select a layer, and then click Edit Scenes. For details, see Scenes.

The Edit Scenes button.

17. Click OK to close the Scenes for layer dialog box.

Notes:

• To quickly sort the layers within the layer database, click the appropriate column heading in the Layer Database dialog box. For example, click the Editable column heading to sort the layers by edit setting; that is, those layers selected as editable appear at the top of the list in alphabetical order.
• How columns appear in the Layer Database can be edited. The order of columns can be changed by clicking on a column header and dragging it left or right to the desired position. By right-clicking anywhere in the table area, a list is displayed which allows you to show/hide columns as you wish. On the list, click Layer Groups to show the layers in groups, see Layer groups section.
• To freeze columns, right-click on the column header and select Freeze Columns in the displayed list. The column that was clicked on and all the columns to its left will freeze, and will always be visible when scrolling over horizontally to the right.

Merging layers

After you add layers, you can merge two or more of them together if you decide that you need to combine them.

To merge layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layer....
2. In the Layer Database window, hold CTRL and click to select the layers that you would like to merge together.
3. With the layers selected, click the Merge Layers button.

The Merge Layers button.

Result: WYSIWYG asks you to specify the Target Layer, or the layer to which the additional layers will be merged.

4. From the drop-down list, select the target layer, and then click OK.

Result: The layers are merged, and you will see only the target layer (the one you chose to merge other layers into).

Layer descriptions and tags

Once layers are created, descriptions and tags can be added to the layers to easily sort the layers and show what they are used for. The Description column can contain a description of your layer, or any notes you wish.

Note: If you import an AutoCAD file containing text in its Description column, the text will be imported into the Description column in WYSIWYG.

To add descriptions and tags to layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, click in the Description or Tag field next to the layer you want to add information to.
3. Type in the information in the field.

Result: Descriptive information is added to the layer.

Layer prefixes

The prefix tool is used to add a prefix to the existing name of all the selected layers.

To add prefixes to layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, select the layers you want to add a prefix to.
3. Click the Prefix button.

Result: The Change Layer Prefix dialog box appears.

4. In the Change Layer Prefix dialog box, enter the prefix you want to use.
5. Click OK.

Result: The selected layers now have the chosen prefix before their name.

Layer highlight

You can highlight the current/active layer automatically, by keeping only the current layer displayed in its layer color while all the other layers are in greyscale.

To enable layer highlight

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.
2. In the Layer Database window, highlight a layer.
3. Click the Set Current button. Alternately, you can double-click the column on the left beside the layer name.
4. Click the Layer Highlight button.

The Layer Highlight button.

Result: The highlighted layer is displayed in its layer color and all the other layers will be in greyscale.

Layer Database filters

When using scenes, you can apply filters to Layer Database so that only layers found in the scene will be visible.

To filter the Layer Database

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, click the Select Filter icon.

 The Select Filter button.

3. In the filter list, select Layers in the Current Scene.

Result:  Only layers in the current scene will be visible in the Layer Database.

Layer properties

All layers have properties that describe the appearance of the layer. Objects that reside on the layer inherit the properties of the layer by default unless you decide to override the values. For more information on overriding object properties, see General object properties.

General tab

Options on the General tab affect the selected layer’s color, line weight, visibility, grouping, print and render color.

• Name: The name of the selected layer.
• Description: A description of the selected layer.
• Visible: Select this checkbox to make the selected layer visible on the plot and in Shaded view. If you modify the property here, it is changed in the Layer Database window.
• Editable: Select this checkbox to make the selected layer editable on the plot and in Shaded view. Modifying the property here changes it in the Layer Database window.
• Tag: A descriptive tag applied to the layer. Used for sorting and categorizing information.
• Line Weight: From the drop-down list, choose Default to set the layer’s line weight to the default value specified in Document Options. For more information, see Document Options.

If preferred, you can also choose a specific line weight for the layer. The value is used as the line weight for all the objects that reside on the specified layer (including library objects, pipes, and truss), unless otherwise modified. To modify the line weight of an object, refer to the General tab.

• Group: From the drop-down list, choose the Layer Group where this layer will be set into.
• Layer Color: Specify the color of this layer to set the color of all the objects that are displayed in this layer in all Wireframe views.
• Greyscale: Select this checkbox to override the color of the layer and display this layer in greyscale while preserving the actual color.
• Print Color: Specify a different color for objects that reside in the selected layer when printing the document. Select the Use Layer color for print checkbox to use the same layer color when printing the document. When the print color is the same as the layer color, the Color Select box will show a grey checker pattern to identify them as the same. When the print color is different from the layer color, the Color Select box will show the set color.

Note: The print color will be displayed in Layouts and New Plots when it is set to a color.

• Render Color: Specify a different color for objects that reside in the selected layer when rendering in Shaded view in DESIGN mode. Select the Use Layer color for render checkbox to use the same layer color when rendering objects in this layer. When the render color is the same as the layer color, the Color Select box will show a grey checker pattern to identify them as the same. To modify the object color for rendering, refer to the General tab.
• Scene: The scenes that the layers appear in.

Object Counts tab

Entries on the Object Counts tab indicate the total number of objects that reside on the selected layer. Values on this tab are read-only.

Deleting layers

You can only delete a non-empty layer that is selected individually. You cannot delete the current layer.

To delete a layer

1. Select a layer that you want to delete.
2. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

3. Ensure that the layer you want to delete is not set as the current layer.
4. Select the layer from the list.
5. Click the Delete Layer(s) icon.

 The Delete Layer(s) button.

Result:

• A confirmation dialog appears and clicking Yes deletes the empty layer.

or

• The Warning dialog box appears if the selected layer contains objects.

6. On the Warning dialog box, click Check Layer Contents to display its contents.

Result: The Contents of layer:  window appears showing its contents.

7. Click Delete Layer.

Result: The selected non-empty layer is deleted.

Note: See Non-empty layers delete section for deleting rules on non-empty layers.

Tips:

• The Layer toolbar gives you quick access to all existing layers and the Layers database. Click the tool on the left end of the Layer toolbar to access the Layer database.

The Layers button.

• Use the layer list in the Layer toolbar to quickly set the current layer. If objects are selected when you do this, those objects are moved to the selected current layer.

Deleting rules for non-empty layers

You must observe the following rules when deleting a non-empty layer:

• If you delete a layer that contains any hang structures, any fixtures that hang from those hang structures will become Unhung. (As a result, they will appear in the Flight Case and continue to appear in Spreadsheets, from where you can delete them if no longer required). This rule ensures that changes to those fixtures (mode or other options, attributes, FALS, etc.) are not lost.
• If you delete a layer that contains one or more Groups, the Groups, and their component objects will be deleted, even if those objects are on other layers.

If an object within a Group resides on an Uneditable layer and you delete the Group, that object will be deleted despite it's layer's Uneditable state. This same rule will apply when deleting layers that contain one or more such Groups.

• If you delete an object or Group on a layer that is part of a "nested Group" that is not on this layer, the object or Group will be deleted but not the "nested Group".
• If you delete a layer that contains one or more Motion Objects, any objects Attached to them will Detach before those Motion Objects are deleted.
• If you delete a layer that contains New Plots objects, all the objects in New Plots will be deleted.
• If you delete a layer that contains an object associated with Arc Length or Radial Dimension, the dimension will be deleted when the object is deleted. It does not matter if the dimension's layer is editable/visible or not. Arc Length and Radial Dimensions can be deleted independent of the object they are measuring.
• If you delete a layer that contains a focus object, the link to the fixtures will break.

Note: You can Undo the deletion. A successful Undo operation will restore the layer and everything it contained and anything (everything) else that may have been deleted from other layers.

Layer groups

A Layer Group is a selection of layers that are organized into a group in the Layer Database window. One or more layers can be selected and set into a Layer Group with a specified name. Layer Groups are created, viewed and modified in the Layer Database window. The Layer Group feature is enabled or disabled in the Document Options window.

The ungrouped layers, by default are listed under the group name “Ungrouped”, which can be renamed like any other Layer Group.

In the Layer Database window, the position of the “Ungrouped” group of layer(s) can be set to either top or bottom of the displayed list.

You can also right-click on the Layer Database window and locate Layer Groups from the list to toggle the display of Layer Groups in the Layer Database.

Creating layer groups

To create new layer groups

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears with the layer groups enabled and displayed.

2. Press and hold CTRL and select one or more layers.
3. Click the New Group icon.

The New Group button.

4. Type a new name for your Layer Group.
5. Click OK.

Result: The new Layer Group with all its layers is added to the list.

6. To make all layers in the Layer Group visible or invisible on the plot and in Shaded view, select the Layer Group, then click the Visible icon. All the layers in the Layer Group will not be editable if not visible.
7. To make all the layers in the Layer Group editable or not-editable on the plot and in Shaded view, select the Layer Group, then click the Editable icon.
8. To change the color of all the layers in the selected Layer Group, click Color Select. All the layers in the Layer Group will have the new color.

9. To change the line weight of all the layers in the selected Layer Group, choose the thickness from the Line Weight drop-down list. If you leave Default selected, the line weight from the Document Options window is applied to all the layers in the selected Layer Group. The specified line weight sets the thickness for all the object symbols in the associated layers (including library objects, pipes, and truss) in the Layer Group, defining how they will appear in all the Wireframe views and printed Layouts.
10. To set a different Print Color for the selected layer group (while preserving the actual Layer Color of the group), choose the color from the Color Select box under the Print column. The print color selected for the layers in the group will be displayed in Layout and New Plots.
11. Select the checkbox on the Greyscale column to override the color of the layer group and display it in greyscale, while preserving the actual layer group color. This will display the layer(s) in the layer group as grey, while another layer, which may be more important in the plot, will be displayed in their color and be more visible in the plot.

Note: When layer groups are set in greyscale, you can change how the objects in the layer groups will be displayed in the General tab in Document Options. See the section General tab.

12. On the list of Layer Groups, click the arrow at the far left of each layer to expand or collapse a single Layer Group.
13. Click the Collapse All button to display only the Layer Groups.

 The Collapse All button.

14. Click the Expand All button to display the Layer Groups and all the Layers.

 The Expand All button.

Notes:

• The use of Layer Groups can be switched off from the Layer Database window. Right-click the table area and from the list of columns that appear, clear Layer Groups. This links to the General tab in the Document Options window and disables the Enable Layer Groups option. Only the list of layers will be displayed in the Layer Database window.
• The order of how the columns appear in the Layer Database can be changed by clicking on a column header and dragging it left or right to the desired position.
• To show/hide columns, right-click anywhere in the table area, and then select or clear the columns from the displayed list.
• To freeze columns, right-click on the column header and select Freeze Columns in the displayed list. The column that was clicked on and all the columns to its left will freeze, and will always be visible when scrolling over horizontally to the right.
• The ungrouped layers, by default are listed under the group name Ungrouped, which can be changed, and listed on top or bottom of the list of layers.
• To change the name, click the name and type the new name.
• To change the position, right-click anywhere in the table and click Options. Select Top or Bottom in the Grid Options window. You can also go to the General tab in the User Options section of the Document Options window. See User Options.

Layer group descriptions and tags

Descriptions and Tags can be added to a Layer Group which will be displayed to all the layers of the selected Layer Group.

To add descriptions and tags to layer groups

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, click in the Description or Tag field in the row of the Layer Group you want to add information to.
3. Type the information in the field.

Result: The Layer Group and all the layers associated have the descriptive information added.

Moving layers between groups

To move a layer from one group to another

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, highlight one or more layers you want to move.
3. Click and drag the highlighted layer/s (NOT the active layer) into another layer group where you want the layer/s transferred.

Deleting layer groups

Deleting the Layer Group will remove the Layer Group from the Layer Database. All the layers of the deleted Layer Group will be ungrouped and returned to the Ungrouped group. All the settings of the deleted Layer Group will be removed from all the ungrouped layers.

To delete a layer group

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. Select the Layer Group from the list.
3. Click the Delete Layer(s) icon.

The Delete Layer(s) button.

Result: The Warning dialog box appears to inform that the layers in this Layer Group will return to the Ungrouped Group. Select the checkbox Always move associated Layers to the Ungrouped Group when a Layer Group is deleted and the Warning dialog box will not appear again.

4. Click Yes.