Layer Manager

The Layer Manager is used to apply and manage layers in your model. Activate the Layers Manager from the Window menu.

The Layers Manager displays all the layers and their associated visibility in the model. Every model has one layer, called Layer0, which will be visible the first time you activate the Layers dialog box.

Note - You cannot delete Layer0. If you use any other layer as a drawing layer, all the entities that were created on that layer will become invisible when you hide that layer. This is not the case when hiding layer 0. Any entities that are on layer 0, but inside a group or component that is on another layer, will remain visible when you hide layer 0.

Caution - Remember, layers in SketchUp do not work exactly like layers in 2 dimensional programs. Namely, entities drawn with one layer appear in all layers in SketchUp.

Moving Geometry Between Layers

To move geometry from one layer to another:

1. Select the Select Tool. The cursor changes to an arrow.
2. Select one or more entities. The selected entities are highlighted in yellow.
3. Activate the context menu for the selected entities.
4. Select the Entity Info menu item. The Entity Info dialog box appears.
5. Select the layer for the entities from the Layers drop-down list.

Layer Manager Options

Add

Click on the Add button to create additional layers. Enter the layer name (or press Enter or Return to accept the default name). Each new layer has a different color to help you distinguish layers.

Delete

Select a layer and click on the Delete button to delete a layer. You will be prompted to move entities on the deleted layer to another layer (the default or current layer) if there are entities unique to that layer.

Name

The Name column lists all the layers, by name, in the drawing. The current layer has a check next to its name. Check the box next to a layer name to make it the current layer. Click on the name of a layer to edit the name of the layer.

Click on the Name column header to sort the layer alphabetically. Click on the Name column again will reverse the order. You can select a multiple layers by dragging. You can also press the Ctrl key and click on layer names to selectively pick layers or press the Shift key and click to select a series of contiguous layers.

Visible

Click on the Visible checkbox to toggle the visibility of a layer. Click on the Visible column header to sort layers by visibility. Click again on the Visible column header to reverse the order. A hidden layer becomes automatically visible when you select the layer.

Color

The color column displays a color associated with each layer. Click on a layer and select a new color to change the color of the layer. Click on the Color column header to sort layers by color. Click again on the Color column heading to reverse the order.

Details Menu

Click on the right arrow next to the Delete button to open the details pop-up menu. This menu allows you to perform additional Layer Manager-related functions.

Select All

Select the Select All menu item to select all layers in the list of layers.

Purge

Select the Purge option to delete all unused layers (layers without any geometry).

Color by Layer

Select the Color by Layer menu item to apply materials to geometry on a per layer basis using the color associated with the layer. Ensure shaded or shaded with Textures display is turned on to view materials.