Layers
Giza organizes your drawing into multiple overlapping layers. Using layers makes it easy to control the display and printing of elements and can help prevent accidental modification of items. We gain this level of control by organizing the items in our drawing on layers that are associated with a specific function, purpose, or object type. It can be helpful to think of layers as clear plastic sheets stacked on top of each other.
Working with Layers
Click main on the drawing toolbar to access the Layer Setup dialog or click the Load Layer Dialog toolbar button.
The Layer Setup dialog will then appear on the screen.
The display area on the left of the Layer Setup dialog named Layer Selection shows all the layers in the drawing and highlights the sub-layers of that layer on the right when selected. These sub-layers are automatically created when items are placed in the layer. For example, the image shows that we have placed some walls, notes, dimensions, and panels with main as our work layer.
The blue boxes beside each layer are checked whenever layers are selected, and read On, Off, Search, or Back, depending on the option selected. The default is On. To change the display mode of a layer, highlight it, and click the button of the desired display mode.
Display Mode Settings
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ON - The default display mode. All items on that layer are fully visible and able to be searched and edited.
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OFF - Turns all items on the layer off for display, search, and edits.
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SEARCH - Turns the items on for display and search but not editing.
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BACK - Keeps items on for background display only. They are not able to be searched or edited.
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DELETE - Clicking Delete will delete the selected sub-layer(s) from the drawing and all items that reside on that layer. Take care with this as once you delete the layer and press OK on the dialog, this action cannot be undone.
- OVERRIDE - Can be used to override the color and pen style of a layer.
Creating a New Layer
New layers can be quickly and easily added into your project by clicking the Add Layer button at the bottom of the Layer Setup dialog.
- Enter a name for the layer. You are unable to use spaces or special characters in the layer name.
- When "Make this the working layer" remains checked, after the layer is created it will automatically be set as the working layer. You can uncheck this box if you wish to create a layer but not immediately have it set as the working layer.
- If the base height (also referred to as Z-height) of the layer is to be maintained at 0', leave it as is. Otherwise, you can enter a custom base height for the layer.
- If desired the new layer can display in a different pen style and/or color by changing the attributes
of the layer in the Color and Pen Override areas.
- Press OK when you are ready to create the layer.
Changing the Work Layer
The active work layer can be changed in the Layer Setup Dialog by using the drop down list under Work Layer section. Items placed into a drawing will go to which ever layer is set as the working layer.Tip: For more information on working with layers please refer to your Giza help guide. Press the F1 key while in Giza to open the searchable help system.