You can also specify which attributes appear in the scene layer manager by default by setting the scene layer manager preferences, as described in the next section, Setting Scene Layer Manager Preferences.
Tools for Working with Scene Layers
Softimage provides two main ways of working with scene layers:
• The scene layer manager is a grid-style editor for working with layers.
• The explorer, where you can set the scope to Layers.
The scene layer manager is a grid-style view from which you can quickly view and edit all of the layers in a scene. Because it is the only view that contains, or provides access to all of the layer-related tools and options, the scene layer manager is the recommended view for editing layers.
To display the Scene Layer Manager
• Choose View > General > Scene Layer Manager from the main menu or press 6.
or
• Switch to the keying panel by clicking the KP/L button at the bottom of the main command panel, then click the Scene tab.
Customizing the Scene Layer Manager View
You can customize the appearance of the scene layer manager view by:
• Showing and hiding layer attributes. For example, in a scene that contains no animation, you might hide the ghosting attribute.
• Sorting the layers. You can sort by name or by order of creation.
• Resizing the columns so that all layer and attribute names are visible.
To show and hide scene layer attributes
• From the scene layer manager menu, choose View > Show [name of attribute]. If the attribute was shown in the scene layer manager, it is now hidden, and vice-versa.
• To toggle multiple attributes, hold down Shift and click the attributes you wish to toggle.
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You can also specify which attributes appear in the scene layer manager by default by setting the scene layer manager preferences, as described in the next section, Setting Scene Layer Manager Preferences. |
To sort scene layers
• Do one of the following:
- From the scene layer manager menu, choose View > Sort by Creation Order to sort the layers by creation order, or View > Sort by Name to sort them alphabetically.
- Click the first heading (to the left of the Name column) to sort the layers by creation order or click the heading of the Name column to sort the layers alphabetically.
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You can also specify how layers are sorted by default by setting the scene layer manager preferences, as described in the next section, Setting Scene Layer Manager Preferences. |
To resize columns
• Click+drag the border between two column headings to resize the column to the left of the dragged border.
Setting Scene Layer Manager Preferences
You can set preferences to control which columns are visible, by default, in the scene layer manager view, as well as how the scene layer manager sorts layers (alphabetically, or in order of creation).
To set scene layer manager preferences
1. Do one of the following:
- Open the scene layer manager (press 6) and choose View > Preferences from the menu.
or
- Open the Preferences view (choose File > Preferences from the main menu) and select Editors > Scene Layer Manager in the explorer pane.
The Scene Layer Manager Preferences property editor opens in the right pane.
2. Set the preferences as needed.
You can view and edit layers in the explorer, where the Layers node is a container for all the layers defined in the scene. This is most useful when you wish to move a number of objects between layers, since you can quickly drag and drop them from one layer to another.
The current layer is shown in bold. Right-click on any layer for a context menu with basic layer commands and other options.
To view scene layers in the explorer
Do one of the following:
• Open an explorer and choose Layers from the Scope menu (or press l).
or
• Open the scene layer manager (press 6) and do one of the following:
- Choose Layers > Explore Layers from the scene layer manager menu to explore all layers.
or
- Right-click any layer’s row and choose Explore from the menu to display the layer’s contents in a pop-up explorer.
Autodesk Softimage v.7.5