Hi All,
Lately, I've been making extensive use of layers, especially with 3D designs. Now that my designs are getting up into the hundreds and thousands ( and millions ) of vertices, I'm stretching the capabilities of the system a little and I find layers helps dramatically.
So, the first comment on layers is to have a play with the layer manager. It's one of the easiest interfaces in CorelCAD and works extremely well. You can add layers, delete layers ( though this function can be challenging ) and you can name them. While draftspersons use layers for different aspects of a plan, we 3D users need to use them just to make it possible to work with complicated models.
The first thing about layers I'd recommend is creating a dimension layer. Set up a "dimensions" layer and switch all your dimensions to this layer. Moving parts between layers is as simple as selecting them, then selecting a layer - though it's easy to move things accidentally so make sure you have nothing selected when using layers.
The advantage of dimensions is they remind you how big something needs to be when adding or removing material, but the dimensions get in the way of the drawing, so turn them off when not in use.
The second solid use for layers is for complicated or optional parts. I put all my threaded parts into their own layer - this lets me adjust thread parameters before exporting STL files, and reduces the workload on other layers when I'm placing parts.
The third good use for layers I've found so far is for scaffolding. If I've created a rough 3D model, or placed markers at certain locations, that are useful as snap-to points, I can turn them off when looking at the model, then turn them back on to see where things are. This is especially useful when using snap-to and you have a complicated model, because you will also have a lot of snap-to points. Having, for example, a bright RED or GREEN circle in the middle of the model makes a particular snap-to reference you want to keep easy to find even when your model gets complicated - unless you model uses similar colours. Usually, I keep one colour just for the scaffolding layer - and then when I'm done, I can turn it off. This use has saved me many DAYS of work fixing mistakes.
The fourth good use for layers is boundaries. I often create a boundary layer which includes information such as areas where the model mustn't be ( interference ) or to create lines of sight or other reference lines that are important to the model ( eg, another model it must connect to ) - Then I can switch the layer on and check that my 3D model will fit into the space it's intended to fit into.
One thing that is handy to remember - when you cut and paste between documents, the layers move with the object - so if you cut a 7-layer object, all the layers will remain intact when pasted, and the names will be the same when it is pasted. So use appropriate layer-names or you'll end up with multiple different layer objects in the same layer - though mostly there are no problems with this feature and it works exceptionally well.
The layer select/edit icon is pretty small and easy to miss if you don't use it - so I've highlighted it in the attached image - It's definitely one of the most powerful and useful features in CorelCAD and you'll end up using it often enough that you want to make sure it's always there.
David