Layer Manager

The title bar displays the word 'Layer', followed by the name of the current Layer. For example, if Layer02 is the current layer, the title bar will read Layer: Layer02.

Create New Layer—Creates a new layer containing the currently highlighted objects (if any).

The new layer's name is automatically generated ("Layer01", "Layer02", etc.) but may be changed by clicking on the label.

Note: The new layer becomes the current layer.

Delete Highlighted Empty Layers—Deletes highlighted layers if they are empty.

Note: This button is not available if any of the following items are in your selection set: nothing, the current layer, objects, Layer 0, or non-empty layers.

Add Selected Objects to Highlighted Layer—Moves currently selected objects into the highlighted layer.

Note: This button is not available if nothing is selected or if more than one layer is highlighted.

Select Highlighted Objects and Layers—Selects all of highlighted objects, as well as all objects contained in any highlighted layers.

Note: This button is not available if nothing is highlighted.

Highlight Selected Objects' Layers—Highlights layers containing the currently selected objects and automatically scrolls so that highlighted layers are visible in the layer manager.

Note: This button is not available if nothing is highlighted.

Hide/Unhide All Layers—Toggles the display of all layers.

Tip: This is most useful if you hide all layers and then display only the layers you want to work on.

Freeze/Unfreeze All Layers—Toggles the frozen state of all layers.

Tip: This is most useful if you freeze all layers and then unfreeze only the layers you want to work on.

Displays layers, their associated objects, and their properties. To expand or collapse the object list for each layer, click ‘+’ or ‘-’, respectively. To modify a property, click its icon. To select all layers quickly, right-click and choose Highlight All. To open the Object/Layer Properties dialog, click on the icon next to the layer or object.

Each property has a unique icon to indicate that it is turned on, while all properties share the same icon for the off () and By Layer () states.

Note: By Layer is available only at the object level, in the Render, Color, and Radiosity columns.

Tip: You can sort the layers by any of their properties by clicking the column name.

Layers—Displays the names of the layers/objects. Click a name to select the layer, or to rename the layer.

Note: Clicking the layer icon opens the Layer Properties dialog for all highlighted layers.

Clicking the object icon opens the Object Properties dialog for all highlighted objects.

Current Layer Toggle—The unlabeled column to the right of the layer name indicates the current layer and lets you make a different layer current.

A check mark appears next to the current layer. Click the check box next to another layer name to make it current.

Hide—Hides and unhides layers. When a layer is hidden, it's invisible. You might want to hide layers that contain construction or reference information.

Freeze—Freezes layers. You can't select or edit objects on a frozen layer. Freezing a layer is useful if you want to view information on a layer for reference but don't want to edit objects on that layer.

Render—When on, objects appear in the rendered scene. Non-rendering objects don't cast shadows or affect the visual component of the rendered scene. Like dummy objects, non-rendering objects can manipulate other objects in the scene.

Shape objects have the Render option turned on by default. In addition, they have a Renderable check box in their creation parameters. When both check boxes are on, the shape is renderable. If either check boxes are off, the shape isn’t renderable. If you apply a modifier that converts the shape into a mesh object, such as a Lathe or Extrude modifier, the shape automatically becomes renderable regardless of the state of its local Renderable check box.

For shapes, the Renderable toggle in the Object Properties dialog affects the main object, so it also affects all instances of and references to the shape.

Color—Changes the color associated with the highlighted layers. You can select another color by clicking the color swatch to display either the Object Color dialog (for objects), or the Layer Color dialog (for layers).

You can set an object’s color independently, or turn on ByLayer in the Object Color dialog to use the associated layer’s color.

Radiosity—When on, objects are included in the radiosity solution. Objects not included in the radiosity solution do not contribute to indirect illumination. If these objects are lights, only their direct contribution will be used for rendering.

Note: Removing objects from the radiosity solution can significantly decrease radiosity processing and rendering time, however it does sacrifice some accuracy in the solution. It can be useful for creating quick test renders.

A standard popup menu is displayed over the Layer Manager by right-clicking anywhere in the Layer Manager dialog. The menu contains a variety of layer management and focus operations.

Some of the operations involve highlighted items or selected objects in your scene. If the right-click is on a non-highlighted row, the highlight switches to that row and the subsequent operation applies to the newly highlighted item. If the right-click is on a highlighted row (or a group of highlighted rows), all of the highlights are preserved and the subsequent operation applies to all of the highlighted items.

Note: To apply an operation to a group of objects or layers, you must hold Ctrl when you right-click. If you have highlighted a group of objects and right-click on one of them (without holding Ctrl), the selection group is cleared and only that object will be highlighted.

Rename—Initiates text editing mode for the highlighted layer's name. Unique names are enforced. If a non-unique name is typed in, a modal dialog pops up, stating “Invalid Layer Name. Layer names must be unique.”

Note: Rename is available only for layers; objects cannot be renamed in the Layer Manager. Likewise, Rename is only available when a single layer is highlighted.

Cut—Stores references to highlighted objects in memory so they can be pasted into another layer.

Cut is only available when objects are highlighted; if there are no objects highlighted or if a layer is part of a multiple selection, it is not available.

Note: Objects are not actually cut from their assigned layer until they are pasted to another one.

Tip: If you cut a layer, 3ds Max cuts all objects in the layer.

Paste—Moves cut objects into the highlighted layer.

Paste is available only when a single layer is highlighted and one or more objects have been cut.

Collapse All—Closes all expanded layers, hiding the object lists.

Expand All—Expands all layers, displaying the objects within each.

Create New Layer—Creates a new layer containing any currently selected objects.

The new layer becomes the current layer. Its name is generated automatically ("Layer01", "Layer02", etc.) but can be changed by clicking its label.

Delete—Deletes any empty highlighted layer.

Note: This does not delete objects. Likewise, this command is not available when your selection includes Layer0, any objects, or any layer containing objects.

Add Selected Objects—Places objects currently selected in your scene into the highlighted layer.

Note: This command is available only when a single layer is highlighted.

Select—Selects all of the currently highlighted objects or layers in the Layer Manager.

Note: If you use this command on a layer, all objects in that layer are selected.

Highlight Selected Objects' Layers—Highlights all layers that contain objects in the current scene selection.

Highlight All Layers—Highlights all of the layers in your scene.

Note: This command does not highlight any objects.

Layer Properties—Opens the Layer Properties dialog for the currently highlighted layers.

Object Properties—Opens the Object Properties dialog for the currently highlighted objects.