Multiple Layers

Jim57

I'm working on a commplex drawing. While I was revising it, I opened a group (Doors), opened another group inside that (Door R), and selected that layer to draw. I kept drawing as I remade another unrelated part, a Capital.

I noticed the Capital was in the wrong layer so I moved it to its proper layer. Now Entity Info shows the capital on layer Capitals. It does not show as part of any of the door groups when I select them. However, when I make the Doors or Door R group invisible the capital disappears as well. It also vanishes if I click off the layer Capitals.

I like that I can make something invisible in different ways by putting the object in one place and the groups its in on different layers, then turning on and off those layers separately. However, I can't see any way to leave the capital visible when the doors are not except by exploding and starting over, and frankly I'm confused as to how to do that. It seems very easy to lose one's way here, and I've got a lot into this model.

Is there a way to separate the object from the layer it was created created on, when it was created in a group?

Is there an easy way to manage objects in groups, other than the rather cumbersome Cut (when inside the group) and Paste (when outside it)?

Dave R

Jim,

First of all, you should follow Google's instructions on the use of layers and draw all geometry on Layer 0. Then leave the geometry there. Only make layer associations for components/groups/text/dimensions. Working this way will prevent the sorts of problems you're running into now. And there's no reason to associate geometry with other layers. Turning off a layer in effect turns on a "cloaking device" if you will.

Now that your model is created and confused, you could use TIG's excellent plugin to move the geometry back to the default layer (Layer 0).

I think there is more to fixing your model because it sounds as if you have nested components. If you had sent me your model and asked me to fix it, my second task after putting the geometry back on the default layer would be to explode all the nested components so we're back to just the bottom level components. Then I would look at what really needs to be nested and go from there. I would most likely make layer associations for the bottom level components/groups and not bother with making layer associations for the nests.

Jim57

Dave R—

Boy, I got that wrong! That's how I used to do it, but I thought I read here that the proper way was to group and move everything to the layers including the geometry. That certainly changes things!

I'll start by moving all the geometry with TIG's plugin, Default Layer Geometry.http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=7638 and see what I have then. I don't think I'll have problems but I think I'll try it on a copy to be sure.

There are nested groups, but I'm afraid of making things sticky when I explode them— that is, that there might possibly be geometry grouped with groups, and if something gets unselected it would stick to its neighbors. Not everything in this model is groups. For instance, at the end of modeling I intersected selected components. That geometry of intersection would be separate— how do you attach it to a group, when opening a group unselects the other group:?

Thanks,

Jim

Dave R

Jim, if each part (jamb, capital, stop, door or even door stiles and rails and so on) of the model is a component/group and these C/Gs are then wrapped up in a component or group to make a nested component, exploding that larger component won't make things sticky.

For components and groups I use the analogy of wrapping the stuff (geometry, text, other components/groups, etc.) in clear cellophane. You can see the contents but they are protected inside the wrapper. To modify the contents you must open the wrapper. In the case of nested components, then. It's a bit like those individually wrapped cheese-like slices. Each one has its own wrapper and the whole lot is wrapped in an outer package. Tearing off the outer layer doesn't make the yellow stuff one big lump. If you were to get inside the outer wrapper though and remove the wrappers on the individual slices, they would then stick together inside that outer wrapper. This would happen in the case of components/groups in SketchUp, too.

FWIW, do a search in SU's Online Help for Layers and read the page under Does SketchUp Support Layers?

Jim57

Dave,

Thanks so much for your clarifications and your PM explaining things. You answered a number of questions about process and workflow.

Putting all the geometry on the default layer (thank you TIG) solved my immediate problem. I'll work on the other issues in the next model.

Best,

Jim