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"Layers" menu icon: box or iso-cube?


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Area: Layers, Layers menu

Icon adjacent to a layer name seems to be able to be either a square "box" with two square brackets ( bottom and right), OR an isometric "cube". I can find no explanation in the manual or Help about this.

It seems that when a layer becomes identified with the "iso-cube", its members behave wierdly, certainly not as they did before they mysteriously changed. I am at a loss for why that layer changed from the well-behaved box to the cube.

In this case, the drawing is entirely 2-d, and I have a layer (and class) for "guides", that I use this to establish basic geometry before creating the actual part object views over it, such that I have good intersections to snap to.

This has happened on two projects now, the first time I just created a new fresh layer and recreated my guides. The second time is too much. How can overcome/undo this? What is the cause in the first place?

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Andy,

Are you referring to the mode bar buttons when the 3d selection tool is selected?

If not, I am throughly confused as to what the problem is. There are no icons adjacent to the layers drop down box, unless you are referring to either a docked palette (which one?), or the mode bar buttons (which tool is selected?).

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Andy, the "iso-cube" (as you call it) signifies that the layer is in a view OTHER THAN TOP PLAN (ie: a 3d view). To get back to the "square" icon: with the layer you want to change as the active layer, go to VIEW>TOP PLAN.

Peter

PS: It is basic to the program to be able to view layers in 2d (top plan) or 3d (all other views). You should re-read your manual!

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This is an easy mistake to make, the key pad is programmed to switch views, so if you hit #2 your view will change to the front elevation. The problem is that if you are drawing in 2-D only, you won't see any change, you will simply lose the ability to snap to other layers. If you don't realize this you could easily accidentaly hit a number on the key pad and not realize what has happened. Another way to get your layer back to 2-D - Top/Plan is to make the layer active and then hit #0 on the Key pad.

Good Luck

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Katie,

No, I didn't have the 3d selection tool, or anything 3d going at the time. I had taken some pains to make sure that this entire drawing was strictly in 2d, given my experience earlier (I have to ship a drawing, not learn 3d right now!)

About the only thing that I can think of that might have caused this condition was that prior I had grouped then duplicated/moved/rotated some guides, then ungrouped them. Before the ungroup command was executed, I was presented with a mysterious dialog, something like, "release objects with class information? yes always, never, just this time" (or something like that). I don't remember my response, mainly because I didn't understand the context of the dialog question.

About then is when the "iso-cube" trouble seemed to start. Thankfully the other contributors nailed the cure.

andy

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Thank you MikeB and Peter! Activating my Guides layer then selecting View>Top Plan cured the problem.

I still don't know how I caused the condition, since I don't use a keyboard with a keypad; also the manual section on views doesn't explain the "iso cube" icon that appears next to each layer in the Layers list (at least, I couldn't find it).

andy

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I asked if you had the 3d selection tool selected because there are modes that have icons like a house or cube representing the view they look at.

The mode bar is right below the data display bar. I was thinking the icon you are referring to were those icons. I'm still confused over the icons you are referring to that are next to the layers drop down box.

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  • 8 years later...

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