Drawing tools

Vivien includes the following drawing tools:

• Customizable origin
• Freehand drawing mode
• The Height value
• Snaps
• Orthographic mode
• Tape Measure tool
• Angle tool
• Position tool
• Command line
• Layers
• Layer Groups
• Scenes

These are described in the next sections.

Customizable origin

By default, the origin is set at the center point of the Vivien venue defined for the event. (For more information on venues, see “Defining the venue”.) You can reset the origin to another point in your drawing so that a different point assumes the values (0,0,0).

To set the user origin

1. From the Tools menu, choose Set User Origin.

or

Click the Origin tool on the Tools toolbar.

The Origin button.

2. Click a point on your drawing or type in the coordinates (X, Y, Z) for the point that assumes the values 0,0,0.

Note: When you start typing, the Command Line prompt automatically appears at the bottom of the window.

To reset the user origin

From the Tools menu, choose Restore Document Origin.

Result: This resets the origin back to the Vivien default origin.

Freehand drawing mode

You can draw objects using a dialog box to set the object’s size (width, depth and height for example). Once you set the object dimensions, the full-size object is then attached to the cursor so you can place it in the drawing.

Alternately, you can draw objects in freehand mode by clicking the Freehand button in the object dialog box. Freehand Mode allows you to click an insertion point for the object first, then drag to create the extents of the object as allowed by the view (XY for plan view, XZ for front view, and so on).

For risers and cylinders, once you have set the dimensions, a dialog box opens to allow you to set the third dimension, if required. Freehand Mode works with Walls, Risers, Cylinders, Circles, Arcs, and Spheres.

To set Freehand Mode as the default drawing mode

1. From the Options menu, choose Document Options.
2. Click the User tab.
3. In the Options section, check Freehand object creation.
4. Click OK.

To set Freehand Mode on the fly

From the Tools menu, choose Freehand Mode.

or

Click the Freehand Mode tool on the Tools toolbar.

The Freehand Mode button.

Remember to click the Freehand Mode tool again to leave Freehand mode.

The Height value

The coordinate not represented in the 2-dimensional Plan view of your drawing is called Height and is assigned the axis letter z. In Plan view, you cannot move an object in your drawing in the direction of the Height value (i.e., up and down from floor to ceiling); you can only move objects along the x and y axes. In Plan view, the status bar identifies the Height value as z=[value].

Notes:

• In the other 2D views (side views and front/back), the direction in which you cannot move objects is assigned different axis letters, based on the view. For example, in a side view, you can move objects from floor to ceiling (z axis) and from left to right (y axis) in the room, but you cannot move objects into the center of the room (along the x axis). Notice in these views that when you move your mouse, the coordinate value for this axis on the status bar does not change.
• For 3D perspective views you are still limited to working in two dimensions. To work in a 3D view, you set the workplane (the 2-dimensional plane that you want to work in).

When you place objects on drawings in the Plan view, by default they are placed on the floor (z=0). To place objects on a surface higher than the floor (for example, a stage), you could first place them on the floor, switch to a view where z is not the Height value (for example, the Front view) and manually drag the object up.

A simpler technique is to change the Height value in Plan view, in effect shifting the floor up. When you change the Height value for the Plan view from z=0 to some other value, for example z=4, all objects placed in that view are placed 4 feet above the ground (or 4 meters if you are using the Metric system). Although you cannot see the difference in the Plan view, you can see it when you switch to Left, Right, Front, Back and 3D views of the room. The Height value affects all subsequent objects inserted in the Plan view; it does not affect objects that are inserted in any other view type.

Note: The Height value is not a move tool. Objects are not moved to the Height value. The Height value only affects subsequent inserts.

To enter a value for the Height

1. From the Tools menu, choose Height.

or

Click the Height tool on the Tools toolbar.

The Height button.

Result: The Enter the Height dialog box opens.

2. Type the value in the Height box, and then click OK.

Snaps

Snaps are used to assist in the drawing and placement of objects. When a snap setting is active, the cursor is drawn to the applicable snap point, like a magnet. You can have multiple snaps active at the same time.

To toggle snapping on and off

From the Tools menu, choose Snap Mode and then click Snap State.

Result: A check mark displays beside Snap State when snapping is on. No check mark displays when snapping is off.

Note: You can turn snapping on at any time by selecting a snap type from the Tools toolbar.

To select a snap type

1. From the Tools menu, choose Snap Mode and then click one of the snap types described next.

or

Click a snap type on the Tools toolbar.

2. Repeat step 1 until all desired snap types are selected.
   

Grid snap

Aligns the placement of objects to grid points. You can set the grid interval and angle in the Draw Options tab of the View Options window.

Endpoint snap

Aligns the placement of objects to the end-point of a line, arc, pipe, or any other object.

Midpoint snap

Aligns the placement of objects to the mid-point of a line, arc, or any other object.

 Point snap

Aligns the placement of objects to a point in the drawing.

Light fixture insertion points are considered as points. Therefore, you can align the placement of objects to light fixtures (snap to light fixtures), using the Point Snap.

Intersection snap

Aligns the placement of objects to the intersection of lines, circles or arcs on the same plane.

Center snap

Aligns the placement of objects to the center-point of circles or arcs on the same plane.

Aligns the placement of objects to the volumetric center-point of risers and spheres.

To snap to the center of a circle, arc, elliptical arc, risers, or spheres, hover around that center-point in the space of the circle, arc, elliptical arc, risers, or spheres.

Library snap

Library Snap displays snap points at the bounding box corners of the library item which aligns the placement of the object in the drawing. The insertion point is identified as the single snap point in a corner that is displayed in red if the object is not selected, which will turn to green if the object is selected. Refer to “Using library snap”for more details.

Insertion points

Insertion points are pre-defined snap points on a 2D/3D primitive object or Library object that are used as insertion grips when placing objects into your drawing.

This feature allows you to choose the Insertion Point from a list of pre-defined Insertion Points. Drawn objects or Library objects use a default insertion point. When you choose a different Insertion Point, the object will shift around the cursor, to the specified Insertion Point. The object will automatically use the same Insertion Point that was previously selected until changed.

Insertion Points for Library objects will only display if Library Snap is enabled. See “Using library snap” for more details.

To select the object’s insertion point

1. Choose a 2D or 3D object to draw, or select an object from the Library.
2. Set or change the object’s specifications in the settings dialog box that appears.
3. Click OK.

Result: Your cursor snaps to the default insertion point of the object.

4. Right-click the object to display the menu list of insertion points.
5. Click on the new insertion point.
6. Place the object into your drawing.

To select the Library object’s insertion point

See “Specifying library item insertion point”.

Changing insertion points

You can change the insertion point of a single 2D/3D primitive object in your drawing to another insertion point. You can select only one 2D/3D primitive object to change its insertion point. You can change the insertion points of rectangles, arcs, elliptical arcs, polygons, risers, cylinders, cones, spheres, walls, and screens.

To change the object’s insertion point

1. Select a 2D or 3D object in your drawing.
2. From the Edit menu, choose Change Insertion Point, and click on the new insertion point from the menu list of insertion points.

Tip: You can right-click on the selected object, choose Change Insertion Point, and click on the new insertion point from the menu list of insertion points.

Result: The insertion point of the selected object moves to the new location.

Orthographic mode

Orthographic Mode is used to constrain your mouse movement and drawing to a direction parallel to a specified axis. This is useful for placing objects in alignment.

When Orthographic Mode is inactive, you can draw or move objects in any direction on the workplane.

The view type determines the possible axes of movement; XY for plan views, YZ for side views, XZ for front and back views.

To activate orthographic mode

From the Tools menu, choose Orthographic Mode and then click Orthographic State.

or

You can activate Orthographic Mode at any time by clicking the Ortho tools on the Tools toolbar.

To select an axis of movement

From the Tools menu, choose Orthographic Mode and then an axis of allowed movement.

or

Click an Ortho tool on the Tools toolbar.

: X-Axis

Allows movement in the X-direction.

: Y-Axis

Allows movement in the Y-direction.

: Z-Axis

To cancel and reset ortho buttons

1. From your keyboard, use F8 to disable any ortho buttons that you have chosen.
2. Use F8 again to reset the same ortho selection as that which was previously selected.

Ortho lock for single axis scrolling

From your keyboard, you can use ALT + F8 to enable Ortho mode for only one axis of the current view or workplane.

• Press ALT + F8 for the first time to enable the first Ortho axis of the current view or workplane regardless of the current Ortho state (i.e. both axes on or both axes off).
• Press ALT + F8 for the second time to disable the first Ortho axis and enable the second Ortho axis.
• From a single axis Ortho mode, press F8 once to disable the Ortho mode.
• From a single axis Ortho mode, press F8 twice in sequence to enable double axes Ortho mode.

Tape Measure tool

Use the Tape Measure tool to measure the distance and angle from one point to another.

To measure a distance

1. From the Tools menu, choose Tape Measure.

or

Click the Tape Measure tool on the Tools toolbar.

The Tape Measure button.

2. Click the starting point for the measurement.
3. Click the end point of the measurement.

Result: The length and angle of the specified trajectory displays in the status bar.

Tip: When selecting the starting and end points for the measurement use the snap tools for precision. For details about the snap tools, see “Snaps”.

Angle tool

The Angle tool enables you to measure and display the angle between two intersecting lines.

To measure an angle

1. From the Tools menu, choose Angle.
2. Pick the starting point of the measurement.
3. Pick the end point of the measurement.

Result: The angle between the two intersecting lines is displayed on the cursor’s information tooltip and in the bottom left corner of the Status bar.

Position tool

The Position Tool helps you determine the position of your selected object or objects in the Drawing Wireframe, providing the precise coordinate reference numbers for the X, Y and Z axes.

The Position Tool can be used to change the position of your selected object or objects by specifying new coordinate numbers for the X, Y and Z axes.

To use the Position Tool

1. Select an object in drawing wireframe view.
2. Click the Position Tool tab.

Result: The Position Tool window appears showing the selected object’s reference coordinate numbers in the X, Y and Z scroll boxes.

3. Click the X, Y or Z scroll box arrows to increase or decrease the reference coordinate numbers.

or

On the Position Tool window, you may click the X, Y and Z boxes and type the numbers.

Result: The position of the selected object(s) changes according to the new coordinate reference numbers.

Notes:

• You can select more than one object and you can move more than one object.
• If multiple objects are selected and arrow buttons are used, the objects move to relative positions.
• If multiple objects are selected and a coordinate value for an axis is entered, the objects move to the same position. For example, if multiple objects are selected and you entered a coordinate value in the Z axis box, the objects move to the same Z axis coordinate.
• The increment/decrement size is equal to the Grid Interval property in Document Options > Draw Defaults tab.

Position tool shortcuts

You can open the Position Tool using the following shortcuts:

• CTRL + ALT + P: Opens the Position Tool window.
• CTRL + SHIFT + X: With an object selected, opens the Position Tool window and the cursor in X.
• CTRL + SHIFT + Y: With an object selected, opens the Position Tool window and the cursor in Y.
• CTRL + SHIFT + Z: With an object selected, opens the Position Tool window and the cursor in Z.

Command line

The command line is an area in Vivien where you can enter coordinates for the purpose of placing or editing objects in a document. You can often place objects more quickly and with more precision using the command line.

Generally, coordinates are specified X, Y, Z. You can, however, insert coordinates using either two or three values. When using two values, the third value is assumed from the Height. For more information on the Height, “The Height value”.

The values that you specify when the units are set to imperial are assumed to be in feet unless otherwise specified. Similarly, the values that you specify when the units are set to metric are assumed to be in metres unless otherwise specified. You can at any time specify values in both imperial and metric measurements (for example, 5”, 3cm, 6’).

The following example illustrates the many different methods to use the command line.

Example

1. In a plan view, from the Draw menu, choose Line.
2. Type 0,0 as the starting point of the line.

Result: When you start typing, the Command Line toolbar opens.

3. Press ENTER to establish the first point of the line at the origin.
4. To set the next point at exactly X=5 and Y=5, type 5,5, and then press ENTER.

Result: A new line segment displays and it assumes Z from the Height.

5. To place the next point of the line 10 units to the right and 5 units up (in Y) from the last point, type @10,5 and press ENTER.

Result: A new line segment displays.

6. To place the next point at exactly 5 feet, 3 metres, and 6 inches from the last point, type 5’, 3m, 6”, and then press ENTER.

Result: A new line segment displays.

7. When you are finished drawing the lines, right-click and select Finish Line.

Layers

Layers are drawing aids that help you organize your drawing. One way to think of layers is as transparent acetate sheets upon which you can draw. In the same way that you can view several transparent sheets at once by placing them on top of each other, you can hide and show layers by choosing which sheets are in the stack. The top sheet is the layer that new objects are placed on and is called the current layer. You can also merge layers together if you decide that you need to combine one or more layers.

Note: Layers can be extremely useful drawing aids, and are recommended for every file that you work on. For example, you could create the following layers to organize every file:

• "Venue" (which is created automatically when a Venue is drawn)
• "Tables and Chairs"
• "Misc Furniture" (such as Podiums, bars, food tables, etc.)
• "Stage"
• "Lighting"
• "People"

To find out the layer to which any object in your plot is assigned, just hover over the object with your cursor in any of the wireframe views. A tooltip appears listing the object name and its layer. This is especially useful when you are working with multiple layers, some of which have the same color.

Layers can be organized into Layer Groups in the Layer Database window. The Layer Groups feature is enabled or disabled from the Document Options window. Layer Groups can be created, viewed, modified and deleted in the Layer Database window. Refer to “Layer groups”.

Adding layers

To create new layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. To create a new layer, click the New icon.

The New button.

3. Type a new name for your layer (for example, “Stage”).
4. Choose the color for the objects in the Layer, from the Layer Color color picker box.
5. By default, the new layer is ungrouped but you may choose to set the new layer as part of a group if available from the Layer Group drop-down list.
6. Choose from the options: Vivien maintains this setting for the next layer that you create.

• Make Current sets the new layer as the current active layer.
• Add Layer to current Scene adds the new layer to the current active Scene.
• Add Layer to all Scenes adds the new layer to all the Scenes.

7. Click OK.
8. To make a layer and all objects on the layer visible on the plot and in virtual views, select the Visible icon. If not selected, the layer is not visible and is not, therefore, editable.
9. To make a layer and all objects on the layer editable on the plot and in virtual views, select the Editable icon. If not selected, the layer is not editable and is not, therefore, visible.

Tip: You might want to deselect a layer when you are finished working with it to avoid possible errors while working on other parts of the plot. This is similar to freezing in AutoCAD.

10. To change the color of the layer, click Color Select.

Note: It is recommended that you select different colors for each layer so as to easily identify the layers on the plot.

Tip: To learn more about the colors in which objects can appear, see “Rules for objects’ colors in Vivien”.

11. To change the line weight of the selected layer, choose the applicable thickness from the Line Weight drop-down box. If you leave Default selected, the line weight from the Object Settings tab is applied to the selected layer. The line weight that you select applies to all objects on this layer (including library objects, pipes, and truss) and is visible in all Wireframe views in all modes.
12. To set a different Print Color for a layer (while preserving the actual Layer Color), choose the color from the Color Select box under the Print column. By default, the Print Color is set to the Layer Color, and this is identified by the Color Select box shown with a checker pattern to identify them as the same. When the Print Color is set to a different color, the selected color will appear in the Color Select box.

Note: The print color will be displayed in Layouts and New Plots when it is set to a color.

13. Select the checkbox on the Greyscale column to override the color of the layer and display it in greyscale, while preserving the actual layer color. This will display it in greyscale, while preserving the actual layer color. This will display the layer(s) as grey, while another layer, which may be more important in the plot, will be displayed in their color and be more visible in the plot.

Note: When layer(s) are set in greyscale, you can change how the objects in the layer(s) will be displayed in the General tab in User Options. See “User Options”.

14. To view the properties of a layer (for example, name, color, and inventory of objects drawn on the layer), click the Layer Properties icon. For more information on these properties, refer to “Layer properties”.

The Layer Properties button.

15. Before closing the dialog, set your current layer by highlighting it, and then clicking Set Current. Alternately, you can set the current layer buy double clicking in the first column on the left, beside a layer name.

The Set Current button.

Note: The current layer is the layer that you are working on at the moment – any object that you draw is placed on this layer and assumes the layer's default properties when it is drawn. A check mark appears beside the name of the current layer.

16. To view and modify the scenes in which a layer is included, select a layer, and then click Scenes. For details, see “Scenes”.

The Scenes button.

17. Click OK to close the Layers dialog box.

Notes:

• To quickly sort the layers within the layer database, click the appropriate column heading in the Layer Database dialog box. For example, click the Editable column heading to sort the layers by edit setting; that is, those layers marked as editable appear at the top of the list in alphabetical order.
• How columns appear in the Layer Database can be edited. The order of columns can be changed by clicking on a column header and dragging it left or right to the desired position.
• To show/hide columns, right-click anywhere in the table area, then select or deselect the columns from the displayed list.

18. To freeze columns, right-click on the heading of the column and select Freeze Columns in the displayed list.

Merging layers

After you add layers, you can merge two or more of them together if you decide that you need to combine them.

To merge layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layer.
2. In the Layer Database window, hold CTRL and click to select the layers that you would like to merge together.
3. With the layers selected, click the Merge Layers button .

The Merge Layers button.

Result: Vivien asks you to specify the Target Layer, or the layer to which the additional layers will be merged.

4. From the drop-down box, select the target layer, and then click OK.

Result: The layers are merged, and you will see only the target layer (the one you chose to merge other layers into).

Layer highlight

You can highlight the current/active layer automatically, by keeping only the current layer displayed in its layer color while all the other layers are in greyscale.

To enable layer highlight

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.
2. In the Layer Database window, highlight a layer.
3. Click the Set Current button. Alternately, you can double click the column on the left beside the layer name.
4. Click the Layer Highlight button.

The Layer Highlight button.

Result: The highlighted layer will be displayed in its layer color and all the other layers will be in greyscale.

Note: You can change the color of the highlighted layer in the General tab in User Options. See “User Options”.

Layer properties

All layers have properties that describe the appearance of the layer. Objects that reside on the layer inherit the properties of the layer by default unless you decide to override the values. For more information on overriding object properties, see “Customizing object properties”.

General tab

Options on the General tab affect the selected layer’s color, line weight and visibility.

Note: To learn more about coloring objects, see “Rules for objects’ colors in Vivien”.

• Name: The name of the selected layer.
• Description: A description of the selected layer.
• Visible: Check this option to make the selected layer visible on the drawing and in Virtual Views. Modifying the property here changes it on the Layer Database window.
• Editable: Check this option to make the selected layer editable on the drawing and in Virtual Views. Modifying the property here changes it on the Layer Database window.
• Tag: A descriptive tag applied to the layer. Used for sorting and categorizing information.
• Line Weight: From the drop-down box, choose Default to set the layer’s line weight to the default value specified on the Object Settings tab. For more information, refer to the “Object Settings tab”. If preferred, you can also choose a specific line weight for the layer. The value is used as the line weight for all the objects that reside on the specified layer (including library objects, pipes, and truss), unless otherwise modified. To modify the line weight of an object, refer to the “General tab”.
• Group: From the drop-down box, choose the Layer Group where this layer will be set into.
• Layer Color: Specify the color of this layer to set the color of all the objects that are displayed in this layer in all Wireframe views.
• Greyscale: Select this checkbox to override the color of the layer and display this layer in greyscale while preserving the actual color.
• Print Color: Specify a different color for objects that reside in the selected layer when printing the document. Select the Use Layer color for print checkbox to use the same layer color when printing the document. When the print color is the same as the layer color, the Color Select box will show a grey checker pattern to identify them as the same. When the print color is different from the layer color, the Color Select box will show the set color.

Note: The print color will be displayed in Layouts when it is set to a color.

• Render Color: Specify a different color for objects that reside in the selected layer when rendering in Virtual View. Select the Use Layer color for render checkbox to use the same layer color when rendering objects in this layer. When the render color is the same as the layer color, the Color Select box will show a grey checker pattern to identify them as the same. To modify the object color for rendering, refer to “General object properties”.
• Scene: The scenes that the layers appear in.

Object Counts tab

Entries on the Object Counts tab indicate the total number of objects that reside on the selected layer. Values on this tab are view only.

Layer descriptions and tags

Once layers are created, descriptions and tags can be added to the layers to easily sort the layers and show what they are used for. The Description column can contain a description of your layer, or any notes you wish.

Note: If you import an AutoCAD file containing text in its Description column, the text will be imported into the Description column in Vivien.

To add descriptions and tags to layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, click in the Description or Tag field next to the layer you want to add information to.
3. Type in the information in the field.

Result: The layer will have descriptive information added.

Layer prefixes

The prefix tool is used to add a prefix to the existing name of all the selected layers.

To add prefixes to layers

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, select the layers you want to add a prefix to.
3. Click the Prefix button.

Result: The Change Layer Prefix dialog box appears.

4. In the Change Layer Prefix window, enter the prefix you want to use.
5. Click OK.

Result: The selected layers will now have the chosen prefix before their name.

Adding filters to the layer database

When using scenes, the Layer Database can have filters applied so that only layers found in the scene will be visible.

To filter the Layer Database

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, click the Filter icon.

The Filter button.

3. In the filter list, select Layers in the Current Scene.

Result: Only layers in the current scene will be visible in the Layer Database.

Deleting layers

You must remove all objects from a layer before you can delete it. You cannot delete the current layer.

To delete a layer

1. Select all of the objects on the layer that you want to delete and delete them or move them to another layer.
2. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

3. Ensure that the layer you want to delete is not set as the current layer.
4. Select the layer in the list.
5. Click Delete.
6. Click OK.

Tips:

• The Layer toolbar gives you quick access to all existing layers and the Layer Database. Click the tool on the left end of the Layer toolbar to access the Layer Database.

The Layer Database button.

• Use the layer list in the Layer toolbar to quickly set the current layer. If objects are selected when you do this, those objects are moved to the selected current layer.

Layer groups

A Layer Group is a selection of layers that are organized into a group in the Layer Database window. One or more layers can be selected and set into a Layer Group with a specified name. Properties that are set to a Layer Group will be assigned to all the layers within the Layer Group. Layer Groups are created, viewed and modified in the Layer Database window. The Layer Group feature is enabled or disabled in the Document Options window.

The ungrouped layers, by default are listed under the group name “Ungrouped”, which can be renamed like any other Layer Group.

In the Layer Database window, the position of the “Ungrouped” group can be set to either top or bottom of the displayed list.

You can also right-click on the Layer Database window and click Layer Groups from the list to toggle the display of Layer Groups in the Layer Database.

Creating layer groups

To create new Layer Groups

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears with the layer groups enabled and displayed.

Tips:

• You can rename the Ungrouped layer, by clicking the Ungrouped cell and typing the new name.
• You can reposition the Ungrouped layer, by right-clicking anywhere in table and choosing Options and selecting Top or Bottom in the Grid Options window. You can also go to the General tab in the User Options of the Document Options window, see “User Options”.

2. Press and hold CTRL and select one or more layers.
3. Click the New Group icon.

The Layer Group button.

4. Type a new name for your Layer Group.
5. Click OK.

Result: The new Layer Group with all its layers is added to the list.

6. To make all layers in the Layer Group visible or invisible on the plot and in virtual views, select the Layer Group, then click the Visible icon. All the layers in the Layer Group will not be editable if not visible.
7. To make all the layers in the Layer Group editable or not-editable on the plot and in virtual views, select the Layer Group, then click the Editable icon.
8. To change the color of all the layers in the selected Layer Group, click Color Select. All the layers in the Layer Group will have the new color.

9. To change the line weight of all the layers in the selected layer Group, choose the thickness from the Line Weight drop-down box. If you leave Default selected, the line weight from the Document Options window is applied to all the layers in the selected Layer Group. The specified line weight sets the thickness for all the object symbols in the associated layers (including library objects, pipes, and truss) in the Layer Group, defining how they will appear in all the Wireframe views and printed Layouts.
10. To set a different Print Color for the selected layer group (while preserving the actual Layer Color of the group), choose the color from the Color Select box under the Print column. The print color selected for the layers in the group will be displayed in Layout and New Plots.
11. Select the checkbox on the Greyscale column to override the color of the layer group and display it in greyscale, while preserving the actual layer group color. This will display the layer(s) in the layer group as grey, while another layer, which may be more important in the plot, will be displayed in their color and be more visible in the plot.

Note: When layer groups are set in greyscale, you can change how the objects in the layer groups will be displayed in the General tab in User Options. For more information, see “User Options”.

12. On the list of Layer Groups, click the arrow at the far left of each layer to expand or collapse a single Layer Group.
13. Click the Collapse All button to display only the Layer Groups.

The Collapse All button.

14. Click the Expand All button to display the Layer Groups and all the Layers.

The Expand All button.

Notes:

• The use of Layer Groups can be switched off from the Layer Database window. Right-click the table area and from the list of columns that appear, clear Layer Groups. This links to the General tab in the Document Options window and disables the Enable Layer Groups option. Only the list of layers will be displayed in the Layer Database window.
• The order of how the columns appear in the Layer Database can be changed by clicking on a column header and dragging it left or right to the desired position.
• To show/hide columns, right-click anywhere in the table area, and then select or deselect the columns from the displayed list.
• To freeze columns, right-click on the heading of the column and select Freeze Columns in the displayed list.
• By default, ungrouped layers are listed under the group name Ungrouped, which can be changed, and listed on top or bottom of the list of layers.
• To change the name, click the name and type the new name.
• To change the position, right-click anywhere in the table and click Options. Select Top or Bottom in the Grid Options window. You can also go to the General tab in the User Options of the Document Options window. See “User Options”.

Layer group descriptions and tags

Descriptions and Tags can be added to a Layer Group which will be displayed to all the layers of the selected Layer Group.

To add descriptions and tags to Layer Groups

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, click in the Description or Tag field in the row of the Layer Group you want to add information to.
3. Type the information in the field.

Result: The Layer Group and all the layers associated will have the descriptive information added.

Moving layers between groups

To move a layer from one group to another

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. In the Layer Database window, highlight one or more layers you want to move.
3. Click and drag the highlighted layer/s (NOT the active layer) into another layer group where you want the layer/s transferred.

Deleting layer groups

Deleting the Layer Group will remove the Layer Group from Layer Database. All the layers of the deleted Layer Group will be ungrouped and returned to the Ungrouped group. All the settings of the deleted Layer Group will be removed from all the ungrouped layers.

To delete a layer group

1. From the Managers menu, choose Layers.

Result: The Layer Database window appears.

2. Select the Layer Group from the list.
3. Click the Delete icon.

The Delete button.

Result: The Warning dialog box appears to inform that the layers in this Layer Group will return to the Ungrouped Group. Select the Always move associated layers to the Ungrouped Group when Layer Group is deleted checkbox and the Warning dialog box will not appear again.

4. Click Yes.

Scenes

Scenes are collections of layers used to organize the drawing. A scene may contain one or more layers.

Hiding a scene hides all the layers assigned to that scene. By organizing the layers and scenes in your drawing you can quickly switch between different room setups.

By default Vivien creates two initial scenes: Current Layer Only and All Layers. You cannot delete these scenes.

You can use a keyboard hotkey to activate and switch between scenes in your drawing. A hotkey is automatically assigned to a new scene upon creation.

To create a new scene

1. From the Managers menu, choose Scenes.

Result: The Scene Database window appears.

Notes:

• The default scenes All Layers and Current Layer Only are always displayed on top of the list, followed by all User-created scenes in ascending or descending order.
• The Ungrouped group of layers are displayed at the top or bottom of the list, as set in the Document Options > General tab.
• The Scene Database window will remember its last size when you reopen it.

2. Click New to create a new scene.
3. Type the name of the new scene and then click OK.

Result:

• The layers associated with the scene are displayed in the Layers Included box with selected checkboxes.
• The new scene is added to the Scenes box with its corresponding Hotkey (CTRL+NUMPAD <1-9>)that was automatically assigned upon creation and displayed in a separate column. See the “Dynamic scene switching” section if you want to change the Hotkey of a scene.

4. On the Scenes box, click on a scene or multiple scenes, and on the Layers Included box, select the checkbox of each layer you want to include in the selected scene(s). For more information, refer to “Layers”.

Tip: Press and hold CTRL and click on the scenes to select multiple scenes which you can edit or delete together.

Notes:

• To copy a scene, see “To clone a scene in scene database”.
• To rename a scene, select the scene, and then click Rename.
• To remove a scene, see “To remove a scene from scene database”.

5. Click Set Current to activate your new scene. If the current layer is not in the current scene, you cannot add any objects.
6. Click OK.

Tips:

• The Scenes toolbar gives you quick access to all existing scenes and the Scenes Database. Click the tool on the left end of the Scenes toolbar to access the Scene Database window.

The Scenes button.

• Pay special attention to the "(Current Layer Only)" scene. As its name implies, this scene isolates the current layer and shows only the items this layer contains. This can be extremely useful when working with a complex object that requires editing, texturing, and so on, or when adjustments need to be made to a complex show in which objects overlap, or other complicated drawing scenarios.

To clone a scene in scene database

1. On the Scenes box in the Scene Database window, select a scene (or multiple scenes) that you want to copy.
2. Click the Copy button.

The Copy button.

3. Type the name for the cloned scene.
4. Select the Set as Current Scene checkbox if you want the cloned scene to become current.
5. Click OK.

Result: The cloned scene is added to the Scenes box in the Scene Database window. The copied scene has the same properties of the selected scene.

To remove a scene from scene database

1. On the Scenes box in the Scene Database window, select a scene (or multiple scenes) that you want to remove.
2. Click the Delete button.

 The Delete button.

3. Click Yes on the delete confirmation dialog box that appears.

Result: The selected scene is removed from the Scenes box in the Scene Database window.

Dynamic scene switching

A keyboard hotkey is automatically assigned to a new scene upon creation and displayed in the Scenes box on the Scene Database window. You can use the keyboard hotkeys (CTRL+NUMPAD <1-9>)to activate and switch between scenes. You can also change the hotkey settings displayed on the Scenes box.

To change or disable a hotkey of a scene

1. On the Scenes box of the Scene Database window, select a scene with the hotkey setting (CTRL+NUMPAD <1-9>) that you wish to change.
2. Click on the drop-down arrow on the Hotkey column of the selected scene.
3. From the Hotkey drop-down list of the selected scene, select the new hotkey setting (CTRL+NUMPAD <1-9>) or select <None> to disable.