Wishes
Post your wishes about Graphisoft products: Archicad, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad.

Layer Settings Improvements

James B
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
OK, I've played around with the layer settings dialogue.

Things I'd like to see (from my website):
- Ability to group layers in folders (allow for draging of layers), the folder may have hide/show and lock/unlock global settings for it's contained layers.
- Allow the Layers dialog to be a floating window, allowing for instant results of layer changes (like hiding a layer) - maybe
- More streamlined interface - too many large buttons
- Double click a name to rename a layer or layer combination
- Ability to swap shown/hidden layers (allow same for lock/unlock)
- New Column added next to "Extension" to indicate layer(s) a selected object or ojects are on (maybe have the ability to drag this selected object icon to another layer to move object to that layer). The icon could indicate what object is selected on that layer (ie wall, slab, column etc or multiple objects).



What do other people think?

EDIT: Image updated to include new printable/non-printable setting and oreopoulos suggestions. thanks for that (to only display visable layers option to simplify layers list when a combo is selected).
James Badcock
Graphisoft Senior Product Manager
19 REPLIES 19
Anonymous
Not applicable
May i add some more features.

1. When selecting a combo have a button to show all or only the "on" layers.
Its a feature to check what the combo includes, especially when the list of layers is getting too long.

2. The second feature was suggested in another wish thread, and its about better layer manipulation (with combos in mind)
When i have to add a few layes in an already big list of both layes and combos i just wish someone else did that job
James B
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
I did forget to add more more feature to my list (will have to update that tonight).

I would like to see an additional setting for each layer of Print/No Print. So inotherwords a layer can be visable but won't print. This would be useful for construction layers. This might be indicated with a print icon and a printer with a cross through it.

Would others find this useful as well?
James Badcock
Graphisoft Senior Product Manager
Anonymous
Not applicable
James wrote:
I did forget to add more more feature to my list (will have to update that tonight).

I would like to see an additional setting for each layer of Print/No Print. So inotherwords a layer can be visable but won't print. This would be useful for construction layers. This might be indicated with a print icon and a printer with a cross through it.

Would others find this useful as well?
That would be a great improvement. I could see setting up different view sets that would allow construction notes to be printed for check sets and off for final drawings.
James B
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
oreopoulos wrote:
May i add some more features.

1. When selecting a combo have a button to show all or only the "on" layers.
Its a feature to check what the combo includes, especially when the list of layers is getting too long.

2. The second feature was suggested in another wish thread, and its about better layer manipulation (with combos in mind)
When i have to add a few layes in an already big list of both layes and combos i just wish someone else did that job
Thanks for the suggestions. See the image above again as I've now implemented your suggestion 1.
James Badcock
Graphisoft Senior Product Manager
Anonymous
Not applicable
- Ability to swap shown/hidden layers (allow same for lock/unlock)
I sure you are already aware of the "quick layers" palette? I would like the quick layers pallette to remember its status so if you quit archicad and restart it will remember if it was shown or not. In addition I would like an unlock option in the "all layers" section (switches to other layers when an item is selected. I'm not sure if these items warrant their own wish but those items would greatly improve its function. It seems like an easy step to have the same features in the layer dialog box.
Geoff Briggs
Mentor
Nice image!
Allow the Layers dialog to be a floating window, allowing for instant results of layer changes (like hiding a layer) - maybe
Definitely. Make it like the Navigator with the push-pin button. In one state OK closes the palette, in the other it doesn’t. Or just add an Apply button like the Attribute Manager.
Regards,
Geoff Briggs
I & I Design, Seattle, USA
AC7-27, M1 Mac, OS 14.x
James B
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
Mike wrote:
- Ability to swap shown/hidden layers (allow same for lock/unlock)
I sure you are already aware of the "quick layers" palette?
Yeah, it was the reason I added it into the actual layers settings cause it's pretty useful.
James Badcock
Graphisoft Senior Product Manager
Anonymous
Not applicable
For my money, layer manipulation is still weak in ArchiCad.
I have used an AutoCad add-on called Layer Manager which allows 'groups' of layers to be added to, or subtracted from, the current layer selections. The equivalent in ArchiCad would be to allow the user to select multiple choices from the defined groups of layers (as shown in the left hand side of the Layers dialogue box) and thereby effectively add the two groups to the currently selected visible layers. This would streamline things considerably.
At present, for example, we ArchiCad users can have one group showing all the plan elements, but if we want the same group but with additional information shown (e.g Fire Startegy) we have to create a separate group including all the relevant layers. If layer groups could be made such that they could be additive, the user could select the first group (plan elements) and then add a second group (fire strategy) - the converse would be to subtract groups as necessary. I feel that things would be significantly improved!
Balazs Simonyi
Graphisoft Alumni
Graphisoft Alumni
Hi James!

Already added to wishlist.
Working has been started in this theme too

Balazs