Have made many SketchUp models over the years to show concept, but this is my first time trying to make construction drawings with Layout. I added dimensions to a couple of scenes (captured in viewports) on a Layout page: everything in the Default layer. I selected the viewports and put them in their own layer (Viewports) and then locked the layer. The dimensions became invisible. The dimensions show up when the Viewports layer is hidden. Using the Arrange “Bring to Front” or “Send to Back” functions does not help.
Deck 08.skp (2.9 MB)
Deck for forum help.layout (3.0 MB)
I don’t see any dimensions in the LayOut file but in order for the dimensions to show up they have to be placed on a layer above the viewport layter. Make sure your Dimensions layer is active when you inster the dimensions. When I do that the dimensions show up just fine.
The Arrange function only works for stuff on the lame layer. It’s not supposed to affect things on different layers.
Edit to add. Looking at the previous page to the one that opened, I see you have dimensions on top of the viewports as expected. Those dimensions are on the Dimensions layer and the viewports are on the Viewports layer as they should be.
DaveR - thanks for your reply. Sorry that I saved the Layout file with Page 3 (the one without dimensions) showing. As you note, dimensions are showing properly on Page 2 in the “for forum help” copy of the file, maybe somehow in the process of saving and renaming. Regardless, I will study up on how layers work in Layout. Is there a way to promote one layer to be on top of another? Thanks.
I wouldn’t expect saving or renaming the file to do anything to which layers or entities are visible or the ordering of layers.
Think of layers in the sense of sheets of transparent film or velum with drawings, dimensions, annotations, etc. on them. (This is old school drafting process and where the term ‘layers’ copmes from.) The content on sheets higher in the stack will appear above content on sheets lower in the stack.
In LayOut you order things in the same way by the Layers list. If you have content that should be on top of other content, you can either move the layer up by dragging it in the Layers panel or you can move the content to a layer higher in the list by right clicking on it and selecting Move to Layer> followed by the desired layer.
You have a pretty decent set of layers already established in your LO do and the order for the viewports, dimensions, annotations is fine. You just have to remember to make the appropriate layer active for the entity type you are adding.
Personally I like to keep layers for title blocks, title block content, and page borders at the bottom of the list and normally locked. That way I spend most of my time working with the layers near the top of the list. With auto text to fill the title block fields that are project specific I don’t even need to unlock any of those bottom layers when I’m working on a project.
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Thanks again! While you were responding, I looked at a couple of YouTubes and the “Using Layers” topic in SketchUp Help. Ta da! A simple right click on the layer name and I was able to “Move Up” the dimensions layer. I appreciate your rapid and on-target help.
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