Share

Object Lister

The Object Lister provides a comprehensive editor for creating and managing layers and the objects assigned to them. It can be displayed in two modes to focus on either layers or objects.

Show by Layers mode lists the layers vertically and can be used either instead of or with the Layer Bar. Objects can also be viewed under each layer.

Show by Objects mode lists all items in the scene and is an alternative or additional tool to the SBD Window for viewing and managing objects.

Object Lister icon bar

New Layer - Creates a new layer. Layers allow you to organize related objects into groups that you can pick, display, and edit individually or together (also available in the More and context menus)

New Folder - Creates an empty layer folder. Group layers into layer folders (also available in the More and context menus).

Duplicate - Duplicates the selected objects, layers and layer folders. When a layer is selected all of its contents are also duplicated (also available in the More and context menus).

Delete - Deletes the selected object, layer, or layer folder (also available in the More and context menus).

Expand All/Collapse All - Click to expand or collapse all layers or objects in the list.

Next - If objects are selected in the scene, the Next and Previous icons:

  • Open any layers or groups in the Object Lister to display the items.
  • Scroll the Object Lister view to display the first item selected.
  • If additional items are not visible in the Object List, continue clicking the icon to scroll to the next item.

Previous - Scrolls the Object Lister view to display the previous item selected.

Search - Use keywords to search for layer folders, layers, or objects contained in the scene.

Filter - Lets you display objects by specific type and specify the way they are sorted (see Object Lister - Advanced settings).

Settings - Access the Settings menu:

  • Layer Controls - Choose which information icons are displayed for layers when using Show by Layer mode.
  • Object Controls - Choose which information icons are displayed for objects.

More - Access the Object Lister More menu. This has the same tools as the Layers menu on the main menu bar.

Object Lister - Advanced settings

There are a large number of settings for the Object Lister, so the ones listed here are not advanced in terms of difficulty, but they are used less often than the main tools described above.

Model Information

Click on the symbol at the bottom of the Object Lister to see statistics for the whole scene:

Filtering

The Filter menu has two different sections: one for filtering which object types are displayed and one for sorting the order of display in the object/layer list.

Filter by Object Types

Choose all types of object to show in the Object Lister. The default setting is to list all objects.

Sort Objects/Layers

Choose one method for sorting the object/layer list:

  • Hierarchy (SBD) - (Default) Lists the objects in the same order as they appear in the SBD window (Utilities > SBD > SBD Window). Canvasses and Construction Entities are exceptions when in Show by Objects mode and they always appear at the top of the list.
  • Alphabetical - Lists the objects in alphabetical order. When in Show by Layers mode, the layers are also listed alphabetically.
  • Object Type - Lists the objects in the following order: canvasses, construction entities, cameras, DAG nodes (groups of objects), curves, surfaces, meshes, and text objects.

The following are available when in Show by Layers mode only.

  • Layer Symmetry - Lists the layers that have symmetry turned on first followed by the layers that have symmetry turned off.
  • Layer Visibility - Lists the visible layers first followed by the invisible layers.
  • Layer Bar - Legacy setting
  • Layer Number - Lists the layers in ascending layer number.
  • Layer Pick State - Lists the Pickable layers followed by the Reference layers, and then the Inactive layers.
  • Layer Playback - Lists the layers with Layer Playback turned off first, followed by layers with Layer Playback turned on. Legacy setting.

Settings

The Settings menu determines which shortcut or information icons are displayed for each layer or object:

Layer Controls

When Show by Layers is active, choose which icons you want to display in the Object Lister for each layer.

Although Group Membership is in the Object Control list, it is seen when the layer is opened to display the nodes assigned in object mode. The LMB can be used on the group icon displayed to show the full grouped object and its components. You can also select any items from this pop-up window.

Object Controls

When Show by Objects is active, only set membership and object layer are available:

Note: The history icon is used to display whether an object has history, but does not have the option to be turned on or off.

When Object Layer is selected for display, the LMB can be used on the layer square icon to show the layer and its content. You can also select any items from this pop-up window.

Object Lister context-menus - Show by Layers mode

Use the Right mouse button on a layer to open the menu. The layer you are on becomes selected when the menu is accessed.

These menu options are also available from the Layer menu and the More menu, but in some cases are in a different order to improve access to the most used tools in-context.

Assign Objects

Assigns the selected object or object components to the current layer.

Pick Objects

Picks objects contained in selected layers.

Visible

Makes picked objects visible or invisible. When visible objects are picked, right-clicking shows the check mark turned on. After turning the check mark off, these objects become invisible in the viewport and are grayed out in the Object Lister.

Symmetry

Toggles the automatic display of symmetrical halves of objects on the layer on and off.

Symmetry Plane

  • Set Symmetry Plane - Lets you set the plane across which the automatic symmetrical halves of objects on the layer will be displayed.
  • Symmetry to Geometry - Creates real objects from the automatically displayed symmetrical halves.

Set State

  • Pickable - Makes the selected layers normal and pickable. Pickable objects are indicated by this icon:
  • Reference - Sets the layers to be visible but not pickable. Use this setting to snap to objects without picking them. These objects are indicated by this icon:
  • Inactive - Sets the selected layers to be templated and inactive. Like objects templated with Display > Template. The objects are visible but not snappable or pickable. Inactive objects are indicated by this icon: .

Set Color

  • Random Layer Colors/ Random Folder Colors

    Randomly assigns colors to layers or layer folders that do not already have a color assigned. Layers or layer folders that already have colors assigned retain their original color. Open the option window to set color value and saturation:

    • Color Value - Lightens or darkens the layer colors.

    • Color Saturation - Makes the colors more or less saturated (more intense or pale).

  • Clear Layer Colors/Clear Folder Colors

    Clears colors assigned to layers or layer folders.

Set Categories

Opens the Categories Lister.

New Layer

Creates a new layer below the layer that is selected with the RMB to open the menu.

If the RMB is used on a folder, the new layer is created within the folder selected.

New Folder

Creates a new empty folder below the layer or folder that is selected with the RMB to open the menu.

If the RMB is used on a folder, the new folder is created within the folder selected.

New From Selected

Use these options to create a new layer from selected objects or a new layer folder from selected layers.

  • New Layer from Selected Objects - First select objects in the scene or in the Object Lister, and then use this tool to create a new layer with those objects automatically assigned.

  • New Folder from Selected Layers - First select layers in the Object Lister, and then use this tool to create a new folder containing those layers.

Duplicate Layer(s) and Contents

Creates a duplicated layer with an incremented name below the one selected. The new layer has duplicates of all the objects in the original layer.

Delete Unused Layers

Deletes all layers with no objects on them.

Paste to Layer

First select objects in the scene or in the Object Lister, and then use Edit > Copy. Then, RMB click on your required layer and choose Paste to Layer to put the objects directly onto that layer.

This is the equivalent of using Edit > Paste followed by Assign Objects, so this saves one step.

Object Lister context menus - Show by Objects mode

Use the right mouse button on an object to open the menu. The object you are on becomes selected when the menu is accessed.

Visible

Toggles the visibility of the objects selected.

Group

Groups the picked objects into a single object, allowing you to pick and apply transformations to all the components at once.

Ungroup

Separates the components of a group into individually pickable objects.

Place Inside Group

This option becomes active only when right-clicking on a group node. It places the picked objects into this group node.

Insert Before/Insert After

Right-clicking on any object and selecting one of these options, places the already picked object(s) before or after the specific object.

Properties

Opens the Information Window for the object.

Copy

Copies the selected objects to the clipboard.

Paste

Pastes the content of the clipboard onto the layer that contains the object.

Delete

Deletes the selected objects.

Object Lister - Object icon reference

The following icons are used to indicate object types when in an object view.

IconNodeIconNode
Camera
Subdivision surface
Camera eye
Mesh
Camera up
Null node
Camera view
Overlay plane
Canvas
Point
Info button. Click to bring up information about the number of curves, surfaces, trimmed surfaces, and canvases
Scanned data
Cloud
Shell
Construction plane
Surface
Curve on surface
Target
Curve
Texture projection
DAG (directed acyclic graph) node
Trimmed surface
Instance
Unknown object
Light
Vector

Workflow: Create layers and assign objects

All objects in a scene are assigned to a layer. A Default Layer is always at the top of the Object Lister and cannot be deleted or set to invisible.

Most users add their own layers to organize a model into manageable groups.

To create your own layers and organize your scene geometry

  1. Create a new layer by one of the following methods:

    • Use the icon in the Object Lister icon bar to create a new layer at the bottom of the layer list.
    • Use the RMB context menu > New Layer on any layer to create a new layer below it.
    • Use the toolbar menu > New Layer to create a new layer at the bottom of the layer list.
    • Use the main menu bar > Layers > New Layer to create a new layer at the bottom of the layer list.
    • Select objects in the scene and use the toolbar or RMB menu > New From > New Layer from Selected Objects.
  2. To rename a layer, double click on the layer name and edit the text.

  3. To assign objects to layers, select the objects you want to put onto the layer, and do one of the following:

    • Use the RMB menu > Assign on any layer to put the objects on that layer.
    • Use the toolbar menu > Assign.
    • Use the main menu bar > Layers > Assign Objects.
  4. To make the contents of the layer visible or hidden in-scene, click on the square icon to the left of the layer name.

  5. To set the layer color, use the right mouse button on the visibility square icon to open the color selector.

  6. The arrow to the left of the layer name indicates that objects have been assigned, and clicking on the arrow opens the layer and displays the assigned objects. Using Shift + click on the arrow expands all groups within the layer.

To move objects between layers

Either:

  • Select the object and assign it to a different layer.
  • Open the layer to display the objects, and use the MMB to drag the objects onto a different layer.

To remove objects from a layer

All objects have to exist on one layer. If you don't want to assign an object to any particular layer, assign it to the Default Layer.

To reorganize the order of layers

Use the MMB on the layer name to drag and drop layers into a new location in the list.

Drag and drop to the Layer Bar

Use the MMB to:

  • Drag Object Lister objects to Layer Bar layers.
  • Drag Object Lister layers to Layer Bar layer folders.
  • Drag Object Lister layer folders to Layer Bar layer folders.

Workflow: Construction layer / active layer

The Construction Layer, also known as the Active Layer, is displayed in a blue highlight color and is the layer where new geometry is placed when it is created.

  • Use the LMB to click on any layer name in the Object Lister to set it to the Construction Layer.
  • Only one layer can be set as the Construction Layer. If you don't know which layer you want as the construction layer, most users set it to the Default Layer.
  • If the wrong layer has been used as a construction layer, simply re-assign the objects to the layers you want afterwards.
  • Setting the Construction Layer also selects the layer. Use Ctrl + LMB to deselect it if required.
  • The Construction Layer color is customizable in the Preferences > Color Themes > Customize window under the UI colors section.

Temporary visible/pickable state for the construction layer

If a layer is set to invisible when clicked on with the LMB, it will be set to the creation layer, and it will temporarily change to a visible, pickable state.

This is displayed with a different construction layer highlight with faint diagonal lines and with the visibility icon shown as off, even though the layer is visible.

When a different construction layer is set, it returns to being invisible.

This can be useful for quickly switching between layers to display different versions:

  1. Make all the layers you want to show alternatives for invisible.
  2. Single LMB click on each layer name to switch between.
Note: If a layer is set to reference or inactive state then when clicked on with the LMB, it is also set to the creation layer, and is temporarily changed to a visible, pickable state.

Note on selecting layers

When selecting multiple layers the first LMB click will always select the layer and also set it as the Construction Layer, so you may need to re-set the construction layer after selection.

Workflow: Layer visibility, color, state, and symmetry settings

The icons on each layer entry are the most common settings and provide shortcuts for tools that are also available on the menus.

List all the objects in a layer - Clicking on the arrow opens the layer and shows all the objects as a node list. Click again to close.

Layer contents visibility in-scene - Use the visibility box to the left of the layer name to toggle the objects in scene on and off. Alternatively use the RMB context menu on the layer name, the toolbar menu, or the main layers menu and choose Visible.

Layer color - Use RMB on the visibility box to select a color for the items in the scene that are assigned to that layer.

Layer pick states - Use the icon to cycle between the three pick states:

  • (Pickable) - Makes the selected layers normal.
  • (Reference) - Sets the layers to be visible but not pickable. Use this setting to snap to objects without picking them. Layer background color: brown.
  • (Inactive) - Sets the selected layers to be templated, like objects templated with Display > Template. The objects are visible but not snappable or pickable. Layer background color: light blue.

Layer symmetry - Use the icon to toggle symmetry on and off.

The direction of symmetry for the selected layer is set using Symmetry Plane > Set Symmetry Plane in either the Object Lister menu or in the Layers main menu.

  • To quickly snap the manipulator to the end of a curve, click the center move handle, and then use curve snapping to snap the manipulator to the curve.
  • Drag a handle to move or rotate.
  • Click an arrow to change the center handle to the free move handle. Then, drag the center handle to move the plane.
  • Click a sphere to change the center handle to the free rotate handle. Then, drag the center handle to rotate the plane.

To convert the mirrored half into real geometry, use Symmetry Plane > Create Symmetric Geometry from either the Object Lister menu or the Layers main menu on the selected layer(s).

Note: Mirrored geometry is displayed as dashed wireframe lines by default. Use Display > Draw Style to choose solid lines instead.

Selecting multiple layers to apply actions

Selecting multiple layers lets you apply operations to all of them in one go, such as deleting, making visible, drag-and-drop, or adding to a folder.

Use the LMB to select a layer. Note that the first LMB click always selects the layer and set it as the Construction Layer. So, make sure that the correct construction layer is re-set afterwards if required.

Use Shift + LMB to select a range of layers.

Use Ctrl + LMB to select or de-select individual layers.

Any shortcut item or menu action applies to all the selected layers.

Set visibility state by scrubbing

You can scrub the layer or object list to quickly turn visibility on or off for many items.

Click and hold on one visibility icon, and then by moving the cursor vertically up or down the list, all items are changed.

Scrub-select is constrained to the hierarchy level of the first selected item and only affects items in that column. The same applies to hierarchy positions in grouped objects.

Workflow: Layer folders

Use folders to group layers to make the Object Lister easier to view and manage.

To work with layer folders, either:

  • Select the layers that you want to group, and access the menu using RMB on the layer and choose New From Selected > New Folder from Selected Layers.
  • Create a New Folder using the toolbar icon or the menu, and drag-and-drop layers into it using the MMB.

Layer folders can be worked with in the same ways as individual layers, such as renaming and dragging and dropping to reposition, however the following operations apply to all layers within the folder:

  • Visibility
  • Color
  • P, R, I state
  • Symmetry
Tip: If you cannot change the state or symmetry on a layer, check that it is not in a folder that has a setting that overrides the layers below.

Workflow: Show by Objects

When the Object Lister is in Show by Object mode, all the objects in the scene are listed without layers. This is an alternative to using Menu > Windows > SBD to view the object nodes.

Note: Objects can still be viewed when in Show by Layers mode, but they are listed under each layer.

Group nodes and Leaf nodes

When objects are grouped the top node is displayed as an orange cube icon. Clicking on the arrow to the left of the icon opens the next level of the grouping hierarchy. Shift + LMB click on the arrow icon to expand all levels in the hierarchy.

Use the context menu grouping tools to create and modify groups inside the Object Lister.

You can also click an object or node item with the MMB and drag it into or outside of an existing group to add or remove it from that group.

Object list ordering

Canvases and Construction Entities are always grouped together at the top of the list when Filter > Sort by is set to Hierarchy:

Re-ordering nodes

Drag and drop works for re-ordering objects in the list when Filter > Sort by is set to Hierarchy.

Workflow: History Tools for Objects

Objects with history are displayed with an 'H' icon when viewing objects in either Show by Objects mode, or by opening the contents of a layer.

  • - Object has construction history.
  • - Object has construction history which is temporarily suspended.

Use the left mouse button on the 'H' icon to display the History menu:

  • Suspend - Temporarily suspends updates of construction history to improve performance. Select again to re-activate history updates.
  • History Visualizer - Opens the History Visualizer window. If the window is already open, selecting this closes it.
  • History View - Opens the History View window. If the window is already open, selecting this closes it.

H inactivated when a tool is open

Clicking on the 'H' does not show the fly-out when the user is in a modelling tool as it is actively being used to make changes to the geometry.

All geometry in the Object Lister displays greyed out:

Use Pick > Object to restore the display to normal in the Object Lister.

Was this information helpful?