In graphical documents, objects (lines, arcs, etc.) can be organized in drawing layers and these in turn can be collected in views.
The layer
Layers are like the transparencies used in manual drawing, and in the same way they are used to organize different types of drawing information. Each drawing has at least one layer but can have any number of layers. When you create an object, it is created on the current layer.
You can create and name a new layer for each conceptual grouping and then assign common properties to each layer. By organizing objects into layers, you can control the visibility of a large number of objects separately for each layer and make changes quickly.
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You can create an unlimited number of layers in a drawing and an unlimited number of objects in each layer. |
The view
Layers are collected in one or more views by means of which it is possible to reduce the visual complexity of a drawing and improve display performance by controlling the number of objects displayed or hidden by making the individual layers visible or invisible.
The order of the layers in the view determines their overlap in the drawing. The same layers can be sorted differently in different views so you can choose the best view to perform a certain operation.
Views allow you to set local values for layer parameters (grid parameters, line style, etc.) so that the same drawing can be displayed in different ways. In particular, the use of views allows you to:
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Control the visibility of objects on a layer
Drawing layers can be made invisible. Making layers invisible is useful if you want to have a clear view when working in detail on a particular layer or group of layers.
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Assign the default color and line type to a layer
Each layer is associated with properties, such as color and linetype, that are applied to all objects on the layer when the current setting is From Layer.
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Set layer transparency
Set layer transparency to reduce the visibility of objects on specific layers and thus improve the display of drawings.
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Lock objects on a layer
By blocking a layer, the objects it contains cannot be modified until the next time the layer is unlocked. Blocking a layer reduces the possibility of accidentally changing objects on a layer. You can still apply snaps to objects in a locked layer.
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Exclude a layer from printing
You can exclude some layers from printing. For example, construction lines can all be assigned to the same layer and excluded from printing.
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The use of views is particularly useful in PCB design, allowing you to quickly choose the most suitable view for a certain operation. |
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The current layer and view are shown and can be set in the Layer and View Bar. |
To create layers in a drawing
To copy the layer stack from another drawing
To change the properties of a layer
To set the transparency of a layer
To set the default styles of a layer
To remove an unused layer
To add a view
To change the properties of a view
To remove a view
To add a layer in a view
To remove a layer from a view
To change the stacking order of layers in the view
To change the current view
To set the active layer
To hide / show the active layer
To lock / unlock the active layer