Each object in your scene can belong to only one layer at a time. It is possible for different objects within a given hierarchy or group to be assigned to different layers.
Working with layers is straightforward—you can create and delete layers, set the current layer, add objects to layers, and perform other tasks from the various layer controls.
When you want to create a new layer, you can either add a blank layer to the scene, or select some scene elements and create a new layer to which they are automatically added.
To create a blank scene layer
Do one of the following:
• Open the scene layer manager (press 6) and choose Layers > New Layer from the menu.
or
• Open an explorer, set the scope to Layers (press l), and expand the List node (right below the Layers node). Right-click any of the listed layers and choose New Layer from the menu.
To create a new scene layer from selected scene elements
1. Select the elements that you wish to add to the new layer.
2. Open the scene layer manager (press 6) and choose Layers > New Layer From Selection from the menu.
You can rename a layer using the scene layer manager or the explorer.
To rename a scene layer using the scene layer manager
1. Open the Scene Layer Manager (press 6).
2. Double-click the name of the layer that you wish to rename.
3. Type the new name and press enter.
To rename a scene layer using the explorer
• You can rename layers in the same way as other elements in the explorer. See Renaming Scene Elements in the Explorer [Interface and Tools]. Press l to set the explorer’s scope to Layers.
Setting the Current Scene Layer
Before you add objects to a scene layer, you must make the layer the current layer. The current layer is the layer to which all layer operations are applied. When you create new objects, they are automatically added to the current layer.
A new scene contains a single layer named Layer_Default. This layer is set to display every object in your scene. It is also the current layer for the scene.
To set the current scene layer from the scene layer manager
• Open the Scene Layer Manager (press 6), and do one of the following:
- Click the row heading for the layer that you wish to set as the current layer.
or
- Right-click the row of the layer you wish to set as the current layer and choose Set as Current Layer from the menu.
To set the current scene layer from the explorer
1. Open an explorer and set the scope to Layers (press l).
2. Expand the List node (right below the Layers node) and right-click any of the listed layers and choose Set as Current Layer.
Moving Objects to a Scene Layer
You can move objects from one scene layer to another using the scene layer manager or an explorer.
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Each object in your scene can belong to only one layer at a time. It is possible for different objects within a given hierarchy or group to be assigned to different layers. |
To move objects to a scene layer using the scene layer manager
1. Select the objects that you wish to add to the new layer and open the scene layer manager (press 6).
2. Do one of the following:
- To move the selected objects to the current layer, choose Layers > Move Selection to Current Layer from the scene layer manager menu.
or
- To move the selected objects to any layer, right click the row of the layer to which you want to move the selection and choose Move Selected Objects to Layer from the menu.
To move objects to a scene layer using the explorer
1. In an explorer, select Layers from the scope menu or press l.
2. Expand the List folder to display all of the layers in the scene.
3. Expand the layer that contains the objects to be moved.
4. Select the objects that you want to move and drag+drop them on a new layer.
Setting Scene Layer Attributes
While you’re working, you can set and change all of a scene layer’s attributes. For example, you can choose which layers you want to view while working. Or, if your workspace is cluttered, you can make some layers unselectable to avoid unwanted selections.
Toggling Visibility and Ghosting Attributes
There are two ways to toggle the viewport visibility, rendering visibility, selectability, and animation ghosting attributes of layers in your scene: using the scene layer manager and using the layer property editor.
To toggle scene layer attributes using the scene layer manager
1. Press 6 to open the scene layer manager.
2. Do one of the following:
- Click a cell to toggle the corresponding attribute for the corresponding layer.
or
- Right-click any attributes column heading and choose Check All or Uncheck All from the menu to activate or deactivate the attribute for all layers.
or
- Click+drag across multiple cells to toggle the corresponding attributes for the corresponding layers (active attributes are deactivated and vice-versa).
To set attributes for a scene layer using the Layer property editor
1. Do one of the following:
- In an explorer, select Layers from the scope menu (or press l), expand the List folder to display all of the layers in the scene, right-click the layer whose attributes you want to edit and choose Properties from the menu.
or
- Open the scene layer manager (press 6), right click the layer whose attributes you want to edit and choose Properties from the menu.
The Layer property editor opens.
2. Set the View Visibility and/or Render Visibility attributes to one of the following:
- Hide members: objects are not displayed. The layer’s setting overrides the View Visibility settings in the objects’ individual Visibility properties.
- Show members: objects are displayed. The layer’s setting overrides the View Visibility settings in the objects’ individual Visibility properties.
- No effect on members: objects are displayed or not displayed according to the View Visibility settings in their individual Visibility properties. The layer’s setting does not override the visibility of members.
3. Set the Selectability attributes to one of the following:
- Do not allow selecting members: objects are not selectable. The layer’s setting overrides the Selectability settings in the objects’ individual Visibility properties.
- Allow selecting members: objects are selectable. The layer’s setting overrides the Selectability settings in the objects’ individual Visibility properties.
- No effect on members: objects are selectable or not selectable according to the Selectability settings in their individual Visibility properties. The layer’s setting does not override the selectability of members.
4. Set the Animation Ghosting attributes to one of the following:
- Do not ghost members prevents ghosting for the animated objects. This overrides the Animation Ghosting settings in the members’ individual Visibility properties.
- Ghost members displays ghosts for the animated objects. This overrides the Animation Ghosting settings in the members’ individual Visibility properties.
- No effect on members: members are ghosted or not according to the Animation Ghosting settings in their individual Visibility properties. This does not override the members’ Visibility properties.
Setting Scene Layer Display Color
A scene layer’s display color defines the wireframe color for objects in the layer, provided that the objects are not selected. The display color is controlled by a Display property applied to the layer in branch mode.
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By default, scene layers don’t have a display property of their own, but rather inherit the scene’s display property. You can, however, create a display property for each layer in your scene (see Setting Scene Layer Display Properties). If you set a layer’s display color from the scene layer manager, as described in this section, a Display property is created automatically. |
To set a layer’s display color
1. Open the Scene Layer Manager (press 6).
2. Double-click the Color cell in any layer’s row.
A Display property is applied to the layer and the Display property editor opens.
3. Set the wireframe color for objects in the layer using the RGB sliders in the Wireframe Color section.
Click Clear to remove the wireframe color and inherit the setting from another source (scene default, branch, local, or group).
You can select an entire layer, whether it is the current layer or not. When you select a layer, its members are branch-selected as well.
To select a scene layer using the scene layer manager
1. Open the Scene Layer Manager (press 6).
2. Do one of the following:
- Double-click the row heading of the layer you wish to select. This also sets the layer as the current layer.
or
- Right-click the row of the layer you wish to select and choose Select Layer from the menu.
or
- Select the current layer by choosing Layers > Select Current Layer in the scene layer manager.
To select a scene layer using an explorer
1. In an explorer, select Layers from the scope menu (or press l).
2. Expand the List folder to display all of the layers in the scene.
3. Click any layer to select it.
In addition to selecting individual layers, you can select all of the empty layers in your scene in one operation. Simply choose Layers > Select Empty Layers in the scene layer manager.
Selecting the Objects in a Scene Layer
You can use the scene layer manager to select all of the objects in any layer, whether it is the current layer or not. You can also use the explorer to select one or more objects in a layer.
To select all of the objects in a scene layer using the scene layer manager
1. Open the Scene Layer Manager (press 6).
2. Do one of the following:
- Right-click the row of the layer whose objects you wish to select and choose Select All Objects in Layer from the menu.
or
- Select objects in the current layer by choosing Layers > Select Objects in Current Layer in the scene layer manager.
To select objects in a scene layer using the explorer
1. In an explorer and select Layers from the scope menu (or press l).
2. Expand the List folder to display all of the layers in the scene.
3. Expand one or more layers and select the desired objects.
Locking a layer prevents further modifications to the layer by locking all of its parameters. However, the lock applies only to the layer itself, and not the objects that belong to it. You can lock layers using the scene layer manager, or the explorer.
To lock a scene layer using the scene layer manager
1. Open the Scene Layer Manager (press 6).
2. Do one of the following:
- Right-click the row of the layer that you wish to lock and choose Lock Layer from the menu.
or
- Lock the current layer by choosing Layers > Lock Current Layer from the scene layer manager menu.
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Locking a layer using the scene layer manager locks it at all levels (node lock, animation lock, and value lock). For more information about locking, see Locking and Tagging Scene Elements [Data Management]. |
To lock a scene layer using the explorer
1. In an explorer and select Layers from the scope menu (or press l).
2. Expand the List folder to display all of the layers in the scene.
3. Right-click the layer node that you want to lock to open its context menu.
4. Choose Locks and activate the desired lock level option. For more information about lock levels, see Locking and Tagging Scene Elements [Data Management].
You can delete a scene layer at any time without deleting any of the objects it contains. Objects in the deleted layer are moved to the default layer (for more about the default layer, see [here]).
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• You cannot delete a scene layer when it’s the only layer in the scene. • If you delete the current scene layer, the default layer becomes the new current layer. • If you delete the default scene layer, the least recently created (oldest) layer in the scene becomes the new default layer. Objects from the deleted default layer are moved into the new default layer. |
To delete a scene layer using the scene layer manager
1. Open the Scene Layer Manager (press 6).
2. Do one of the following:
- Right-click the row of the layer that you wish to delete and choose Delete Layer from the menu.
or
- Delete the current layer by choosing Layers > Delete Current Layer from the menu.
To delete a scene layer from the explorer
1. In an explorer, select Layers from the Scope menu (or press l).
2. Expand the List folder to display all of the layers in the scene.
3. Click any layer to select it, and press Delete.
Deleting Empty Scene Layers
In addition to deleting individual layers, you can delete all of the empty layers in your scene in one operation. Simply choose Layers > Delete Empty Layers in the scene layer manager.
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