using F2, view takes on 'layer settings' of previous view.

[Anonymous]

When i hit F2 from view 'X', the floor plan view takes on the 'layer settings' of 'X' view.

Is there a way to prevent that from happening?

[Karl Ottenstein]

All open windows in AC use a single set of settings. If you change the layer combo in the 3D window and press F2 or otherwise activate the floor plan, you will see that same layer combo. Etc for all settings.

But, "View" has a very specific meaning in AC - it refers to items that are saved in the Navigator View Map and includes a 'viewpoint' - a floor, a section, a 3D Document, schedule, etc - and all of the settings that can affect how that viewpoint is displayed - layer combo, dimension format, model view options and much, much more:

http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/archicad-18-int-reference-guide/user-interface-reference/dialog-box...

Your 'viewpoints' are listed in your Project Map:
http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/guides/archicad-17-int-reference-guide/interaction/navigation/navig...

Your Views are listed in your View Map:
http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/archicad-18-int-reference-guide/interaction/navigation/navigator-pa...

Normally, you'll double click a view in the view map to switch views. Some times, however, you'll intentionally switch viewpoints via the Project Map, or F2, F3 etc, in order to see exactly the building elements you're viewing in a different viewpoint.

AC is not a program that can be learned by experiment and has many operational differences from other CAD software. It takes time, and ideally having someone hands-on with you either in person or via remote screen-sharing for at least a few hours to get basics such as this down as quickly as possible. In the past, many resellers provided a few hours of free training with a license purchase - perhaps it is worth checking with yours?

[Karl Ottenstein]

PS. Also, if you happen to arrange your screen so that you see multiple windows at once - perhaps 3D, plan and section all at the same time... AC is not like some other software which might (1) display different settings per window [explained below] or (2) update multiple windows/views at once. Only the active window is updated. If you have tiled other windows on your screen, those other windows will not reflect any changes until they are made active.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Yes, this is a big difference in the way ArchiCAD and Revit works.
In Revit, every View has its own settings. This means that every time you go from one View to another, the activated View will be displayed with the settings stored for it. If you want to achieve this same thing you should only be using the View Map of the Navigator because Saved Views in ArchiCAD also restore their settings when activated.

A View in ArchiCAD is basically a captured state of a given Viewpoint and its various settings.
A Viewpoint in ArchiCAD is just that: a Viewpoint (one of several representation types standard in architecture, like Floor Plan, Section, Elevation, Detail etc.) with whatever settings are active at the moment.

Here is one thing you can do: use the Window\Palettes\Quick Options menu command to display the Quick Options Palette. This Palette displays most of the settings that are usually stored in a View, such as Layer Combination, Scale, Pen Set etc. You will see that if you activate various Views in the View Map, various items will change in this Quick Options Palette because Views always restore the settings they were saved with.
However, you will see that switching from one Viewpoint to another in the Project Map does not change any of the settings in the Quick Options Palette.