Article Number: 109 | VC6 | VC5 | VC4 | VC3 | VCPS | Post Date: June 13, 2023 | Updated: June 13, 2023
How can I organize my project’s assets using layers?
You can switch from the project menu display to the layers menu display view by left-clicking on the “layers” button (see below).
The layers menu display may be preferable for ease of organizing project assets. To create a layer, go to Layer > New Layer in the menu bar. Note, if you have an object already selected in the project, using Layer > New Layer will automatically place the selected object into the new layer. If you wish to create a new layer without placing an existing object into it, first deselect all objects (alt+left-click to deselect an object or left-click in an empty section of the project space while in “Select And Move” or “Select, Move And Manipulate cursor control mode), then use Layer > New Layer.
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To change the layer’s name, left-click to expand the “misc” menu in the properties menu, then left-click in the name field and type whatever name you wish to use and press “enter”.
Once a new layer is created, left-click in the box next to its name (see below) to make it active. Once a layer is active, any new object placed into the project will be automatically placed into the active layer. You can left-click the “+” symbol to expand the layer to see its contents. Press “-” to hide the layer’s contents.
You can move objects between layers by left-clicking in the box next to the target layer to make it active. Next, select the object or objects (ctrl+left-click or left-click and drag to multi-select) to be moved. Finally, go to the tools menu and expand the “arrange” submenu. Left-click “send to current layer” (see below).
You will now see the selected objects moved to the active layer. Again, new objects placed into the project will be automatically placed in the active layer.
You can rearrange graphical elements (text, 2D shapes, and images) within a layer by selecting the given element and left-clicking the desired option in the tools > arrange menu. In the example below, our text is beneath the black line (in red circle below). This can be fixed by selecting the text object and left-clicking “bring to front” in tools > arrange.
Below we see our text element now appears over the black line.
Note, the tools > arrange menu options set display priority based on their order within the project menu display, regardless of what layer the objects are in. The order in which layers appear within the layers menu display can also be modified using the tools > arrange menu options. This will rearrange the display priority of all objects within the selected layer simultaneously.
Hiding Layers
To hide a layer, left-click in the middle box next to the layer’s name.
A dark mask icon will appear in the box indicating the hide property has been activated. Here we hide the layer containing Google imagery data to create a diagram more suited for printing physical copies.
Note, hiding the layer will hide all of the layer’s contents. This can be seen by expanding the layer.
This will also hide any of the layer’s contents in the project menu view. This is indicated by a light mask icon. To unhide the layer’s elements, you will need to return to the layers view and left-click on the dark mask icon to disable the hide layer property.
You can separately hide or unhide an individual element within a layer by toggling the mask icon next to its name either in the layer display or project display menu.
Freezing Layers
To freeze a layer, left-click in the right side box next to the layer’s name.
A dark snowflake icon will appear in the box indicating the freeze property has been activated. Here we freeze the layer containing Google imagery data. Freezing such data is recommended as it prevents the possibility of accidentally moving the underlying aerial imagery after the diagram graphical elements have been introduced to the project.
Note, freezing the layer will freeze all of the layer’s contents. This can be seen by expanding the layer.
This will also freeze any of the layer’s contents in the project menu view. This is indicated by a light snowflake icon. To unfreeze the layer’s elements, you will need to return to the layers view and left-click on the dark snowflake icon to disable the freeze layer property.
You can separately freeze or unfreeze an individual element within a layer by toggling the snowflake icon next to the element’s name either in the layer display or project display menu.
Organizing Assets using the Project Menu Display using Groups
It is not necessary to use the layers menu display to organize assets. You may prefer to simply use the project menu display (this is the default display mode). To organize assets in groups, first select all assets to be placed into a group, then go to Group > Group (see below).
Then rename the group object as needed in the “misc” menu.
To access elements within a group, left-click to open the group object folder, then left-click on the element.
Note, items within a layer can also be grouped.
To eliminate a group, go to Group > Ungroup. When a group is eliminated, all objects are returned back to the project or layer menu display as ungrouped.
Groups can be quite useful in Virtual CRASH for Public Safety, but they do have two important limitations. First, you cannot add elements to or remove elements from an existing group. To add or subtract elements, you must Ungroup the current group, then regroup the new list of elements. Second, groups can only be composed of like objects. For example, you cannot group a 3D vehicle object with 2D graphical elements such as curves. Because of these limitations, it may be more desirable to arrange your project’s assets using layers.
Tags: Layers, layers views, how to use layers, making new layer, add to layer, move to layer
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