Easy Way to Use SketchUp Layer – For those of you who often use graphic design program is definitely familiar with Layer. In SketchUp you can also find layers, just there’s a difference you need to know. In most programs layers are used to separate things and provide some order to the way those things are shown. They are analogous to the sheets of film commonly used in drafting years ago. In fact that’s where the term comes from.
In SketchUp, though, layers don’t provide separation between entities. That’s done by making components or groups. Instead, layers are used to control the visibility of entities. SketchUp’s Help files say, “Layering in SketchUp is for display only. Think of them as light switches that illuminate something or turn it off.”
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Easy Way to Use SketchUp Layer
In every SketchUp file you create there will always be the default layer which is called Layer 0. This is the layer that should be active at all times while you are modeling. That means the radio button to the left of the layer name should always be at Layer 0. All edges and faces are created on Layer 0 and should remain on Layer 0. After you select the geometry and create a component or group, you can assign a layer to the component or group. The edges and faces inside the component or group stay on Layer 0, though.
To create a new layer, click on the + in the circle at the top left of the Layers panel. If you’re using a web-based version of SketchUp, the + is at the bottom left corner of the Layers panel.
Below is an explanation of how to use a SketchUp layer that you can practice :
Add Layer : Clicking this button adds a new sketchup layer.
Delete Layer : Click this button to delete the currently selected sketchup layer. If the layer you’re trying to delete contains anything, SketchUp asks what you want to do with it; choose an option and click Delete.
Layer Options flyout menu : This menu offers the following useful options:
- Purge: When you choose Purge, SketchUp deletes all the layers that don’t contain geometry. This is a handy way to keep your file neat and tidy.
- Color by Layer: Notice how each layer in the list has a little material swatch next to it? Choosing Color by Layer temporarily changes all the colors in your SketchUp model to match the colors (or textures) assigned to each layer. To see what’s on each layer, this is the way to go.
Layers list : This is a list of all the layers in your SketchUp file. You need to know about these three columns:
- Name : Double-click a layer’s name to edit it. Giving your layers meaningful names is a good way to quickly find what you want.
- Visible : This check box is the heart and soul of the Layers dialog box. When it’s selected, the geometry on that layer is visible; when the check box isn’t selected, the layer’s geometry isn’t visible.
- Color : You can choose to view your model using Color by Layer. You can choose which material (color or texture) to assign to each layer by clicking the Color swatch.
Add a new SketchUp layer
Follow these steps to add a sketchup layer in your file:
Read also : 2 Best Ways of Shrinking SketchUp File Size
Choose Window→Layers.
The Layers dialog box opens.
Click the Add Layer button to add a new sketchup layer to the Layers list.
If you want, you can double-click your new sketchup layer to rename it.
Another, slightly trickier, way to add a new layer to your model is to type a new layer name into the Layer field in the Entity Info dialog box, and then press Enter. (Find the Entity Info dialog box by choosing Window→Entity Info.)
This both creates a new layer with that name and moves whatever geometry is currently selected onto it. Save this particular time-saver for when you’re more experienced — nothing about Layers is as straightforward as it seems.
Moving entities to a different sketchup layer
Moving things from one layer to another involves using the Entity Info dialog box. Follow these steps to move an entity (an edge, face, group, or component) to a different layer:
- Select the entity or entities you want to move to another layer. Move only groups and components to other layers.
- Choose Window→Entity Info. The Entity Info dialog box opens. You can also open it by right-clicking your selected entities and choosing Entity Info from the context menu.
- In the Entity Info dialog box, choose a layer from the Layer drop-down list. Your selected entities are now on the layer you chose from the list.
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