Layers and layer display settings help you group elements, which can make it easier to show and hide them and to keep track of different types of information.
When you create 2D elements in Solid Edge, they are assigned to a layer in the following circumstances:
On a drawing sheet
On a drawing view
On a part sketch
On an assembly layout
There are some differences in the layer functionality in the Draft environment and the layer functionality when working with a sketch in the 3D environments.
You can show and hide different drawing elements to control their visibility. When you hide a layer, you cannot see the elements assigned to that layer. For example, you can assign text notes to one layer and dimensions to another layer. Then, if you turn off the layer for notes and turn on the layer for dimensions, you see only the dimensions.
You can show or hide a layer using the layers shortcut menu commands or the Show Layer or Hide Layer buttons on the Layers tab.
You also can control whether the elements on a layer can be selected by another user or not using the Make Non-Locatable and Make Locatable shortcut commands.
Every new document contains at least one layer, named Default.
When you create a new layer using the New Layer shortcut command or the New Layer button on the Layers tab, each new layer is automatically named using the convention Layer1, Layer2, and so forth.
You can rename any layer using the Rename command on the layer shortcut menu. By giving each layer a name that describes its contents, you can easily identify and control the visibility of drawing elements.
To learn how to assign graphics, dimensions, annotations, and other drawing elements to a particular layer, see Assigning drawing elements to layers in this Help topic.
You can sort layers by the order they are created, alphabetically in ascending order (A-Z), or alphabetically in descending order (Z-A).
The Layers tab in the Library or in PathFinder displays a graphic list of the layers in the document. As well as allowing you to see which layer is active, change the active layer, and create a new layer, options on the Layers tab also allow you see hidden and visible layers, select layers to show and hide, rename layers, and add properties to layers.
The following table explains the symbols used on the Layers tab:
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Legend |
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Active layer Note: On the sheet view
Layer names below the drawing views symbol |
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Occupied layer |
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Empty layer |
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Hidden Layer |
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Non-locatable layer |
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Note: The symbols on the Layers tab can also represent combinations of conditions. For example, a symbol can show that a layer is occupied and hidden. |
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When you place an element on a drawing sheet, drawing view, or sketch, it is assigned to the active layer. To make another layer the active layer, you can double-click the layer entry on the Layers tab, or you can use the Make Active command on the shortcut menu.
You can assign an element to only one layer, but you can change the layer that an element is assigned to using the Move Elements button on the Layers tab.
Note:
To manipulate layers in drawing views, you must be in the Draw In View environment. Outside the Draw In View environment, you can only Show or Hide layers in drawing views.
When you want to hide elements in a drawing view but you do not want to assign the hidden elements to individual layers, you can use the Auto-Hide layer. You can hide construction geometry, dimensions, and certain annotations.
The Auto-Hide layer is available while you are drawing and dimensioning on the 2D Model sheet. The Auto-Hide layer is activated by the View→2D Model Sheet command.
Example:
For example, you can place dimensions on the 2D Model sheet to drive the size of the geometry, and then assign them to the Auto-Hide layer. When you use the 2D Model View command 
to create a drawing view of the 2D Model sheet geometry, the dimensions are hidden automatically and do not appear on the working sheet.
The Auto-Hide layer also is available when you right-click a drawing view and choose the Draw In View command. When you close a Draw In View window, elements on the Auto-Hide layer are hidden automatically.
Once the Auto-Hide layer has been activated, it remains available on the working sheets, too.
When working with layers in the Draft environment, all the layers you create are available on all the drawing sheets in the document, but you can manage the display of a layer on a sheet by sheet basis. For example, you can hide Layer 1 on Sheet 2, but display Layer 1 on Sheet 3.
The Auto-Hide layer is available at all times when working on the 2D Model sheet.
When you create 2D elements for a part sketch or assembly sketch, the elements are assigned to the active layer. When you create 2D elements as part of a local profile for a profile-based feature, they are not assigned to a layer.
When a layer is occupied in the 3D environments, the Layers tab displays the layer name using bold text. When a layer is occupied in the Draft environment, bold text is not used. In both the Draft and 3D environments, the symbol adjacent to the layer entry on the Layers tab indicates whether the layer contains elements.
Note:
When you open a 3D document created prior to version 16 that contains sketches, the sketch elements are added to the Default layer.
When you translate a foreign document into a Solid Edge draft document, the layer scheme of the foreign document is maintained.
When you copy and paste elements between the draft environment and the 3D environments, the layer scheme is maintained. When you copy 2D elements from a local profile for a profile-based feature, where layers are not supported, and then paste the elements into a draft document or a sketch where layers are supported, the pasted elements are placed on the active layer.
of the Layers tab, the active layer name is displayed in boldface (L1).
do not indicate an active layer. For drawing views, the active layer is displayed only when you are using the Draw in View command.
