Objects, whether 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional, are usually created in different layers. The visibility of the objects in whole or in part can be controlled using the Layer Filter and the Layer dialog. The Layer Filter is to be found in the Visibility group on the Start tab, the Layer dialog () can be found on the Toolbar. Each can be configured to apply either to the whole design (i.e. globally) or simply to the viewport currently active. The layer management functions are available in the design area and in the Layout area.
Open the Layer dialog by clicking on the Layer icon on the Toolbar. Various options come up for selecting and sorting layers – see the following screenshot. If no settings have yet been made in the Layer dialog, it will always show all the layers in a design. |
01: Quick Filter 02: Filter layers by selected objects 03: Mark Layers of selected objects 04: Create a new layer 05: Delete all objects on highlighted layers 06: Merge layers 07: Creating and managing user-defined filters 08: Open context menu 09: Sort layers by name Clicking on this area serves to sort the layers in alphabetic order. 10: Selection of layers for Layer dialog Clicking on this button opens a menu in which groups of layers or single layers can be selected to be displayed or filtered. 11: Selection of layers Further options for layers: For example you can decide whether only layers that are visible/invisible within the plan are to be displayed in the Layer dialog. |
Every object in a plan is assigned to a layer. There are several ways to change the assignment:
1. Assign using the Properties Editor
Select the object(s) within the plan that you would like to assign to a layer. In the Properties Editor, you will see the drop-down menu Layer. Select the desired level from the list.
2. Assign using Drag & Drop
Select the object(s) within the plan that you would like to assign to a layer. Hold down the left mouse button to drag the object to the desired layer in the Layers dialog. It will now be assigned to this layer.
3. Assign using the context menu
Select the object(s) within the plan that you would like to assign to a layer. Right click on the desired layer within the Layers dialog. This opens the context menu. Click the Assign entry in the context menu to assign the objects to this layer.
4. Merge Layers
In the Layers dialog, select the objects for which you want to define a common layer. Then click on the Merge Layers button (see above). A new dialog opens in which you select one of the layers of your planning. After confirming with OK, all previously selected objects are assigned to this layer, while the original layers are deleted.
Controlling Visibility Using Symbols
The clickable symbols (light bulb or grey sphere) in the Layer dialog serve to control the visibility of all the layers (symbols in the All column) or of the layers in the active viewport (symbols in the Viewport column). The settings shown in the areas contained in the red frame in the left-hand screenshot are explained below. |
•01: In the first section, All layers are set to be visible (green eye symbols). The grey circles in the Viewport column indicate that the global settings have been adopted for the active viewport. This means that the layers will be visible there, too. •02: In the second section, All layers are set to be invisible (grey eye symbols). However, these layers have been set to be visible in the Viewport (the green eye symbols in this column). •03: In the third section, All layers are set to be visible (green eye symbols). However, these layers have been set to be invisible in the Viewport (grey eye symbols). |
The Filter Editor is a tool which enables the user to create individual quick filters for layers. A filter consists in any number of conditions which can be organized in groups and linked by means of logical operators. Depending on how the filters are defined, the visibility of one or any number of layers can be regulated. Open the Filter Editor as before using the button in the Layers Dialog (see here). The functions provided by the dialog are now first presented and there follows an actual example using the dialog to create a customized filter.
Filter Editor Toolbar
Create a new filter. |
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Delete the selected filter. |
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Duplicate the selected filter with all its conditions. |
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Save the changes made to the selected filter. |
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Apply the filter to the layers in the layer manager. The consequence of this is that only layers to which the filter conditions apply are shown in the list of layers. This means that the result can be checked even during the creation of the filter. |
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Delete the filter currently applied to the layer manager. |
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Enable the visibility of all layers to which the filter conditions apply. Objects on these layers will then be shown in the design area. |
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Disable the visibility of all layers to which the filter conditions apply. Objects on these layers will then be hidden in the design area. |
Select a directory in which all filters are stored as files in the form of *.flt. |
Creating User Defined Filters
The next paragraph describes the creation of user-defined filters in general. To follow the creation process in respect of an actual example, read this.
1.Start a new filter ( 2.You can use templates selected from a list which will simplify the creation of individual filters. Available are not only the default quick filters and other filter templates, but also the layers of in the drawing currently open. 3.The filter root is the uppermost layer of the filter. Click on the Filter button to save new conditions or groups or to delete the entire contents of the filter. 4.Add conditions for groups. By clicking the Edit button ( 5.Adapt the conditions. A comparison of the layer names (using like and not like) and the value given serves to control which layer if affected by the filter. If a layer fulfils the conditions, the filter will have an effect on the layers visibility. As reference string for comparison, you can enter either the full name of the layer or a part of it with wildcards (*, ?). The Edit button can be used for deleting the condition, but also enables other conditions or groups to be added. |
By way of explanation to help you understand the procedure for creating a customized filter, here is a demonstration of how to filter layers for a specific purpose. In the Layers dialog (image on right) you can see that the design has six more layers besides “layer zero”. The aim is now to show only the layers designated by "D2" or "wall" in the layer name. Open the Filter Editor from the relevant button ( |
1.Start a new filter () and give it the name of your choice (here it is Sample Filter).
It is recommended that you edit the filter root first. The filter root is the uppermost level of the filter. You will be able to modify it at any time. The default operator for starting the filter is AND, which means that all conditions must be fulfilled for the layer, or it will not be displayed. There is an overview of the operators on the right.
AND |
Both conditions must be fulfilled. |
OR |
At least one of the conditions must be fulfilled. |
AND NOT |
Only one condition may be fulfilled. |
OR NOT |
Neither of the conditions may be fulfilled. |
2.Click on the AND and then on another operator. As it is the intention in this example to filter according to conditions for which it should only ever be one which is fulfilled, the OR operator is suitable. |
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3.Now set conditions according to which the filtering should take place. Then click on Press to add another condition (here this has been done twice). |
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4.As the search is to be for the layers which contain either "D2“ or “wall” in their string, the conditions are set in such a way that both these strings must appear in the name of the layer. To achieve this, go into the <empty> fields and type in the strings. The wildcard characters * or ? define the place in which the string should stand. |
If you now use the filter, exactly those layers will appear in the layer dialog which contain “D2” or "wall" in their name.
As is normally the case when working with logical operators, there are various ways of achieving the filtering desired. The layer filters shown below will achieve the same result as the example just given.
The Layer Filter is opened by clicking on the button of the same name in the Visibility group on the Start tab. The Layer Filter enables you to hide or unhide certain layers of the design quickly and easily without reverting to the Layer dialog. There is a global Layer Filter (i.e. the All button in the Start tab, Visibility group) as well as a Layer Filter for the active viewport (the Viewport button in the Start tab, Visibility group). The Layer Filter menu also gives you access to your user defined filters. |
The Layer dialog can be used either as a floating or a docked element. This is where to find the full instructions.