Question about layers

[RPGista]

I don't know if this is important: Imagine I have all structural objects in my building first assigned to a general "structure" layer; I then have added all first floor structures to a "first floor structure", and the second floor ones to "second floor structure". If I turn off "structure" layer, all structure objects should disappear (regardless of the floor). If I turn off only "first floor structure", all first floor objects should disappear, but not the second floor ones, which were left on. I understand there's a problem with my reasoning, if you were to turn off the "structure" layer, all structural objects would disappear but you would still have the "first" and "second floor" layers on, which would be confusing (unless there was some kind of automatic tree structure that would turn off all "added" layers along with the original one)... In the current system, it seems that you would have to turn off both "first floor structure" and the main "structure" for the first floor objects to disappear. If you turn off just one of the layers, there's no effect at all, which is also confusing for me? What would be the point of adding more layers to an object, shouldnt I just create a "first floor structure" and "second floor structure" and forget about the common one?

 

Also, is there a way to check for what layer is a given object assigned to?

Edited October 28, 2011 by RPGista

[grayman]

There is no hierarchical relationship among layers. Each is unique and independent of any others.

 

Given layers A and B, and an object assigned to both. If you hide A and leave B visible, the object will still be visible because it's in B and B is visible. If you hide B and leave A visible, the object will still be visible because it's in A and A is visible. The only way to hide the object is to hide both A and B.

 

An easy way to think of it is if you have a ceiling brush in Floor 1 that also serves as the floor brush for Floor 2. If you just want to work on Floor 1, you'd hide all other layers but that one. Your ceiling is visible. Now it's time to work on Floor 2. You hide all layers but that one. Your floor brush is still visible.

 

And there's no way to tell what layer(s) an object is assigned to, other than hiding layers one by one and noting when the object disappears.

[RPGista]

Thank you. I see now why would a shared layer be useful, hadn't thought about that... I was hoping it could somehow work the way I tried to describe though, but I don't mean to suggest any drastic changes, I'm really glad DR has layers, it's super important, specially because I find the perspective navigation to be very clumsy and do most of my work on the ortho views (which would be nightmare without layers).

 

Even if you can't know what layers an obect is assigned to, being able to "select all by layer" helps a lot.

 

Just one more question, is there a way of choosing which layer you want your objects to be created in? Or is it always going to be created in the default layer, needing to be changed manually? (Basicly, a kind of active layer option)

[Fidcal]

FastestFasterFastMediumSlowSlowerSlowest

 

This tracker entry relates: http://bugs.angua.at/view.php?id=2494

 

I have not had a chance to check the new DR. I think most(all) of these issues have been fixed. But reading that might give you some insight into how it works. FastestFasterFastMediumSlowSlowerSlowest FastestFasterFastMediumSlowSlowerSlowest

[greebo]

The "active layer" suggestion is quite old: http://bugs.angua.at/view.php?id=617

 

I might be motivated enough this weekend to look into it, finally.