New... Use this option to create a new layer.  If you are in the middle of a command, it will pause and wait for you to create the layer.  This allows you to insert a new layer during a command that is prompting you for a layer.  Complete the Layer Form shown below.       Enter a name, number and description for the new layer.  The next available number is automatically displayed. The number and description are optional. If you want to group one or more of the current layers with the new layer, select them from the Source List.  When a layer of the group is turned on/off or are frozen/unfrozen, they will all assume the same status. Pick OK to create the layer.  It will be added to the Layer Manager.

 

 

Assign

Use this option to assign an entity to current layer.  First select the entities and then select a layer from the Layer Manager.  Alternately, you can select an entity whose layer you want the entities assigned to.  This option is also available using the Object Editor.  Right-click on an entity and select Assign Layer.

 

On/Off

Use this option to toggle all selected layers on or off.  You can also double-left-click a layer from the Layer Manager to perform the same function.  A layer turned off will not be visible until it is turned on again.  This option is also available using the Object Editor.  Right-click on an entity and select Layer On/Off.

 

Blank commands (i.e., Blank, Unblank, and Blank Swap) cannot be applied to an entity whose layer is off.  When a layer is off, all of its entities are blanked.  Alternately, when a layer is on, all of its entities are unblanked.  The names and numbers of layers that are off appear "low-lighted" in the Layer Manager.

 

If you turn the active layer off, the next visible layer in the list is automatically activated.  If there is not another visible layer in the list, one is created automatically and then activated.  Tracking entity visibility throughout the parametric history requires that the active layer always be visible.

 

Activate

Use this option to activate a layer.  New entities will be assigned to the active layer.  Only one layer is active at a time.  The active layer is listed in the VX Title Bar.  This option is also available using the Object Editor.  Right-click on an entity and select Activate Layer.

 

Edit

Use this option to display the Layer Form (see above) for a selected layer.  You can change the layer name and description.  However, the layer number cannot be changed once it has been assigned.

 

Freeze

Use this option to toggle a layer frozen or unfrozen.  Entities on a frozen layer cannot be picked interactively.  They can however, be operated on using VX macro or OpenVX applications that bypass interactive picking.  All operations that ignore blanked shapes also ignore shapes on frozen layers.

 

Delete

Use this option to delete one or more layers.  You cannot delete a layer if entities are currently assigned to it.  You can also not delete a layer that is still referenced in the part’s history.

 

Inquire

This option displays information about a layer.  The information includes name, number, on/off status, frozen status and various entity count totals.

 

Preview

This option displays the contents of the layer in the preview window.  This is similar to the Preview option on the Root Object Browser.  The preview is removed when the display is redrawn.

 

Show All

This option turns all layers on.

 

Sync

Use this option to re-synch entity visibility with the layer On/Off status if the blank flags become out-of-synch.  This may happen when stepping through a history regen.  During this time, all regenerated entities are shown until Sync is selected, which will blank all entities on layers that are Off.

 

A Sync is automatically executed at the end of an automatic replay (i.e., a regen) that goes to completion without stopping.  If a regen stops part way through because of an error, all entities are shown until Sync is selected.  This option will pause the current command until completion.

 

Unpick All

This option unpicks all selected layers.

 

Set Attributes

This option assigns the current attributes defined by the Line Attributes Form and Face Attributes Form to the active layer.  These attributes will remain the defaults for the layer until they are modified while the layer is active.

 

Different layers can have different attributes assigned to them.  New geometry created while the layer is active will be assigned the layer's attributes if those attributes have been set with this option.

 

Get Attributes

This option resets the active layer's attributes to those set by the Set Attributions option above.

 

Clear Attributes

This option clears the active layer's attributes if they were defined by the Set Attributions option above.  The active layer will no longer have attributes assigned to it.  Geometry created while the layer is active will default to the current attributes defined by the Line Attributes Form and Face Attributes Form.

 

Display by Number

Check this box to show the layer numbers in the list to the left of the layer names.  The layers will also be listed numerically from 0 to 255.  When this box is not checked, layers are listed alphabetically by name.

 

Pick this icon to display the Layer Control Panel (see below).  

 

 

 

When you select this icon from the bottom of the Layer Manager, the Layer Control Panel is displayed (see below).  It allows you to control the On/Off and Freeze/Unfreeze status of all 256 numbered layers.

 

The On/Off tab contains buttons for each of the 256 layers.  When you select a button (push it in) that layer is turned off.  All layers that are currently off will have their buttons pushed in.  The Freeze tab functions in a similar manner.  Frozen layers have their buttons pushed in.

 

Once you make your button selections, pick Apply to apply the changes or Reset to reset all buttons to their previous state.  The Apply button only applies the changes made to the active tab.

 

 

 

 

The Filter tab allows you to apply On/Off and Freeze/Unfreeze status to a filtered set of layers.  For example, to turn all layers on, place a check mark next to All Layers and then pick On.  The available filters are shown in the form below.  The currently active layer is ignored during these functions.

 

 

 

 

 

The following table lists the color assignments used in the Layer Manager list.  The bold text may be applied to black, red or blue text and indicates that the layer is currently selected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can perform many Layer Manager functions using the mouse and the layer list.  Select one or more layers and then middle-click to display the Object Editor pop-up menu.  You can also right-click on a layer to select it and display the menu at the same time.

 

You can select an entity from the graphics window and its layer will be selected from the Layer Manager.  If one layer is selected, all of the functions can be applied.  If more than one layer is selected, only the On/Off and Delete functions can be applied.  All other functions will only apply to the first layer selected.