Basic application rules

This section provides the fundamental methods governing the use of features in Vivien.

In this section

Objects’ colors in Vivien

This section outlines the basic rules governing the application of colors with which objects appear in Wireframe views in Vivien.

Objects inherit the color of the layer they reside on by default. You can select the color of a layer in the Layer Database window.

You can select a specific color for an individual object from the General or Appearance tabs in its Properties window.

Rules for objects’ colors in Vivien

Default:

By default, if no color related options are specified anywhere, the object will appear in the color of its Layer.

Use Layer Color checkbox not selected:

If the Use Layer Color checkbox is not selected in the General tab of its Properties window and if the color option that is selected is different from its Layer color, the object will appear in this custom color.

Print Color defined:

If a Print color option is selected for a Layer in the Layer Database window, the object in the Layer will appear in the selected Print color option even if a custom color was assigned to it.

Greyscale enabled:

If the Greyscale checkbox is selected for a Layer in the Layer Database, the object in the Layer will appear in Greyscale. Selecting the Greyscale checkbox overrides the Layer color and the custom color option selected in its Properties window.

Groups in Vivien

This section outlines the basic rules that apply when grouping objects in Vivien.

Groups are objects that exist on layers

In Vivien, a Group is a physical object that exists on a layer.

When you initiate the Group command, the resulting Group will become an object that is placed on the current Layer. The objects contained within the Group will continue to exist on the Layer(s) on which they were created until you change their Layer(s); to do this, Ungroup the objects, change their Layer, and then Group them once more.

Changing a Group’s Layer

You can see which Layer belongs to by selecting the Group in Drawing Wireframe, accessing its Properties window, and switching to the Group tab. In the Group tab, the selected Layer is highlighted in the Layers list and has a white arrow to the left of its name, indicating the Layer that the Group is on.

You can change the Layer for the Group itself in the Group tab by selecting another Layer then clicking Apply > OK.

Notes:

When a Group is selected, selecting another Layer from the drop-down list on the Layer toolbar will change the Layer for the Group itself, not for the objects within it.
The Layer that appears selected on the General tab of the Properties window of a selected Group, is the Layer which contains the objects within the Group – and if these objects are on different Layers, no Layer will appear selected.

Dynamic group outline

The Dynamic Group Outline feature helps you identify Groups in Vivien.

Dynamic Group Outline is a dashed framing outline that encloses all the objects within a Group.

Dynamic Group Outline appears in all Drawing Wireframe views. It appears as soon as a new Group is created. It appears as a cube in Isometric View.

The color of the Dynamic Group Outline is the color of the Layer that the Group belong to. This color cannot be changed, except by changing the color of the Layer itself, or the Layer’s Print Color.

Dynamic Group Outline will not appear:

In Virtual View.
If one or more Selection Sets are selected.

Note: (Exception) If a Selection Set includes one or more Groups, Dynamic Group Outline will apply to the Group(s).

If a single hang structure made of Assembled Truss is selected. (Assembled Truss is a special type of Group.)

Note: (Exception) Dynamic Group Outline will appear if two or more hang structures that were Grouped together are selected, even if at least one of these hang structures is an Assembled Truss.