How to make SHOW SNAP the default for Viewports

[Jim Smith]

I should know how to do this, but I don't see it in help nor here. How dose one make SHOW SNAP (or Grey etc) the default for Layers of a Sheet's Viewports?

[Andy Broomell]

The Sheet Layer Viewport when created should look exactly the same as what you saw on the Design Layers when you created it.

 

Note that viewports don't actually have any "snap" settings nor an active layer... What happens when you make a viewport is that the overall Layer visibility settings get baked into the viewport's visibility settings for each individual Layer. So if you were set to "Grey/Snap Others" when you made the viewport, then in the viewport all layers would be set to grey except whichever one was the active layer at the time, which will be set to visible. Any further changes would be made by clicking on the viewport's Layers button in the OIP.

 

So the "Default" is just whatever state you're in when you make the viewport.

[Jim Smith]

16 hours ago, Andy Broomell said:

. Any further changes would be made by clicking on the viewport's Layers button in the OIP.

 

@Andy Broomell  I totally understand that a Viewport's visibility is set when it's established, & that one may edit the Design Layers & Class visibilities; however the choice of a Layer's "Active Only" or "Grey Others" or "Show Snap Modify Others" does not seem to be a something that may be edited. The exception to this is when one navigates to a Design Layer then these choices may be made, but a change to these kinds of Layer Visibilities is only temporary.

 

It seems reasonable that there should be a place to alter this either universally or on an individual basis. Unless I'm missing something. 

Edited August 13, 2020 by Jim Smith

[Andy Broomell]

1 hour ago, Jim Smith said:

however the choice of a Layer's "Active Only" or "Grey Others" or "Show Snap Modify Others" does not seem to be a something that may be edited

 

That's because this doesn't even exist at all for a viewport... As in, this couldn't be added because it doesn't coincide with how viewports work.

 

...Or are you talking about having the ability to better control this when editing the actual Design Layers via the Viewport? If so then I could see what you're saying there because there is some unreliability to Layer Options in that regard.

[Jim Smith]

@Andy Broomell  

 

When I establish a Viewport, I have SHOW SNAP OTHERS for my Design Layer View as the default. So I go into a Viewport and I want to be able to adjust stuff in other Design Layers so WITHIN the Design Layer I change the Design Layer View to SHOW SNAP MODIFY OTHERS. Now I have made several Viewports with this (mistakenly) as my Design Layer View & I want to change these Viewports to the default SHOW SNAP OTHERS.

 

It sounds like I am stuck with this unless I rebuild all of these Viewports. So a couple of hours work to correct a minor mistake, or leave it, & hope for the best.  If this is the case I'll add this as a Wish List Item. 

[Pat Stanford]

@Jim Smith, Either you or I are misunderstanding how this works.

 

Viewports have no idea of the Layer or Class Options. Layers that are set to be Grey when you create the viewport will be set to Grey under the Layers... button in the OIP when then viewport is selected. If you go from the viewport to Edit Design Layer and use the Display Using Viewport Attributes then those layers will show as Grey, but the Layer Option will be whatever is set in the Navigation Pane.

 

The Layer Option does not change when you edit design layers from a viewport. The Layer Options are whatever was set in the Navigation palette. You can change that while you are in the middle of editing the design layer.

 

Does this make sense? Are you seeing something else?

[Andy Broomell]

So you're indeed talking about when you're in Design Layer Edit mode (that thought only occurred to me at the end of my last post). I think I understand what you're asking now 🙂 

 

So there's some nuance here to what's happening. When you edit the Design Layer by double-clicking the Viewport, within the editing window the Layer Options do use whatever your current Layer Options are. So if you were working in your Design Layer a moment ago with "Show/Snap Others," then right now within the Viewport it'll be set to "Show/Snap Others" regardless of what the settings were when the viewport was created.

 

However this is working in conjunction with the fact that each layer is storing its own visibility: if the viewport was created with "Grey/Snap others," for example, then some of those layers are manually greyed out in that viewport, and therefore don't "Show" even when the Layer Options say "Show/Snap Others." Generally it's working exactly how it does on Design Layers.

 

At the end of the day, you currently CAN change the 'default' Layer Options simply by switching the setting while on a Design Layer before going to edit your Viewports.

 

Let me know if this makes sense. I had to experiment with it a bit to make sure what I said is true, but it appears everything is working as expected and I can't quite picture what could be changed.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by Andy Broomell

[Pat Stanford]

My experience matches Andy's.

[Jim Smith]

Sorry, this is a bit confusing due to some terms being similar to others.

 What I am experiencing is that once a Viewport has it's Layer & Class Visibility set it seems that this Viewport is forever "stuck" with the choice of how the Layers & Classes are "SHOWN" ie Show/Snap etc. There is an option to change this on the fly, but from my experience, one may not change this setting for a Viewport without making a new Viewport. 

 

When establishing a Viewport Layer Visibilities this choice locks the Visibility, it can be changed, when one navigates to the Design Layer, but that change is only temporary  

 

Regardless of a Design Layer's visibility in the Nav Palette, the Viewport's visibility is Locked.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Jim Smith

[Pat Stanford]

Jim, Yes and No.  When a viewport is created the layer and class visibilities are set for each layer and class in the file. Those values are saved as specific Visible/Invisible/Gray. The Layer Option and Class Options impact how the design layers are viewed and those settings are then saved as the values that are seen in the Layers... and Classes... dialog boxes accessible from the OIP when the viewport is selected.

 

Once the Viewport is created, there is ZERO further linkage between the Layer Option, Class Options, and the Viewport. NONE. ZIP. ZILCH.

 

You can change the settings for the viewport in either the dialog boxes accessible from the OIP for Layers... and Classes... or from the Viewports pane of the Organization Dialog Box when you click the Visibilities button at the upper right.

 

I hope this makes sense. You can change visibility of Viewports after they are created, but you have to do it on a Layer by Layer or Class by Class basis rather than being able to use the Layer and Class Options.

[Jim Smith]

Thanks @Pat Stanford that's what I was thinking was the case. I'll add this to a Wish List