Layers group the objects in your model into named sets that you can show, hide, lock and draw on. Every object belongs to exactly one layer. Use layers to separate site context from the building, keep reference geometry safe from edits, set up clean presentation views and control what goes into an export.
You manage layers in the Layers section of the left panel in Design Mode and BIM Mode, below the Proposal dropdown. Every project starts with a Default layer, which can't be deleted.
Create a layer and make it active
In the left panel, find Layers.
Click + next to Layers to add a new layer.
Type a name and press
Enter.Click the layer to make it the active layer. A tick appears next to its name.
Draw or import objects. They are placed on the active layer.
Note: The active layer must be visible and unlocked. You can't create objects while your active layer is hidden or locked.
How the active layer works:
Only one layer can be active at a time, and the active layer is personal: choosing yours doesn't change a teammate's.
Everything you create goes to the active layer, including Sketch to BIM results.
Imported files go to the active layer. Layers aren't mapped automatically from the source file.
Imported images, CAD files and PDFs keep the layer they're assigned to.
Layers are flat. You can't nest one layer inside another.
Move an object to another layer
Select the object.
Open the Properties tab in the right panel and find the Layer field.
Choose the layer you want.
When you copy and paste objects within a project, the copies keep the layer of the original.
Show, hide, lock and select a layer
Hover over a layer in the Layers section to see its quick actions:
Show/hide: click the eye icon to toggle the layer's visibility.
Lock/unlock: a locked layer can't be edited by anyone in the project. Its objects can still be selected, but not changed.
Select all: selects every object on the layer, for example to move or delete them together.
Note: Locking applies to all collaborators. Hiding a layer only affects your own session until you save it to a view (see below). Several people can work on the same layer at the same time.
Rename or delete a layer
Hover over the layer and click the three-dot Actions menu.
Choose Rename and type a new name, or choose Delete.
If you delete a layer, the Delete Layer dialog asks what to do with its objects. Use the dropdown to choose where they go, such as the Default layer.
Tip: Undo and redo cover creating, deleting, locking, unlocking, hiding and showing layers.
Save layer visibility to a view
Each saved 2D or 3D view remembers which layers were visible when you saved it. Switching to that view restores its saved layer visibility.
Show or hide layers until the canvas looks the way you want.
Click Save View (camera icon) in the bottom bar to save a new view, or click Update view on an existing one.
Visibility changes you don't save to a view stay in your session only and don't affect collaborators.
Exclude layers from exports
Hidden layers are left out of exports. Before you export a model or view, or take a capture, hide the layers you don't want included, such as reference geometry or Program Blocks.
Use layers in Program Mode and the Area Panel
Program Mode shows a Layer column in the table. To move a space to a different layer:
Click the Program tab in the top bar. Program Mode opens in a separate browser tab.
Find the row for the space.
Click the Layer dropdown in that row and pick a layer.
Note: You can only reassign layers in Program Mode. To create, rename or delete layers, use the Layers section of the left panel in Design Mode or BIM Mode.
To see area metrics for some layers only:
Open the Areas tab in the right panel.
Click Filter.
Choose Layers and select the layers to include.
Rows, rollups and totals update to match. In the Area Panel, layers can be used as a filter but not to group or sort rows.
Use layers with Design Proposals
Each design proposal has its own layers, along with its own saved views and area metrics.
When you create a proposal with + New Proposal and choose Configure, you decide for each layer of the source proposal whether to share it, duplicate it or exclude it.
A shared layer is the same layer in both proposals, so edits in one appear in the other.
A duplicated layer is an independent copy you can change freely. Topography, PDFs, images and CAD can't be duplicated.
To share an existing layer with another proposal, or move it there, open the layer's Actions menu.
Common ways to use layers
Organize a large model: for example, separate layers for Site and Context, Topography, Building, Spaces and Program Blocks. Hide the ones you aren't working on to reduce clutter.
Protect reference geometry: put site boundaries, imported CAD, topography or an approved footprint on a layer and lock it.
Make presentation views: save a working view with grids and reference geometry visible, and a presentation view with only the finished design.
Split work across a team: each person sets their own active layer (for example Building, Spaces or Site) so they can work in parallel, while locked layers protect shared geometry.
Check area by zone: put residential units and amenities on separate layers, then filter the Area Panel by layer.
Compare quick options: put alternative massing studies on separate layers and toggle them. For fuller options with their own views and metrics, use Design Proposals.
Layers vs Tags
Layers and tags both organize your model, but they do different jobs. Use layers to control what's visible, whether it can be edited and what goes into exports. Use tags to describe what spaces are.
Layers | Tags | |
What they're for | Visibility, locking, the active drawing layer and what goes into exports | Classifying spaces (for example Department, Building or Phase) |
Per object | Exactly one layer per object | One tag value per tag category, so a space can have several tags |
Views | Visibility is saved per view | Can drive how spaces are coloured, which saved views keep |
Area Panel | Filter only | Drive area metrics and filters |
Design Proposals | Each proposal has its own layers | Shared across all proposals |
Tip: To lock a group of tagged spaces, select them by tag from the Right-click menu, then move them to a layer and lock that layer.
Related articles
Design Proposals
Tags and Space Types
Area Panel
Saved Views
Program Mode