If you are a novice designer, you probably still have several features to discover in Sketchup. And that is why you should learn more about the program by answering the question How to change an object’s layer in Sketchup?
And, if you learn to use the layering tools, then you will be able to better organize and carry out all the drawings and work that you are going to do. Because thanks to these, you can experiment with designs in just a few layers without having to affect the fundamental structure of your work.
What is Sketchup?
Before you can get started with the explanation, you have to first get some context on what Sketchup itself is. This is a 3D modeling and design program, which is among the best in the world. Its main objective is to help designers of urban works such as architects, civil engineers, among others.
The most outstanding feature of it is the fact that it allows you to create 3D models and even make 3D text in record time, since its tools are intuitive and very easy to use, since it has a lot and each time they update it to add more to it.
This program also comes with a free guide when you buy it , which will teach you to make all kinds of designs, not only urban planning, but also cars, airplanes, among others.
As if that were not enough, it has an extensive gallery of objects, textures and images, which you can use whenever you want. It is so popular that it is considered Google’s Autocad.
How to layer an object in Sketchup;Creating and manipulating layers in SketchUp is a key skill for managing the visibility and organization of different elements in your model.
Here’s a step-by-step guide in a tabular format to help you understand how to layer an object in SketchUp:
| Step | Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open the Layers Panel | Go to Window > Layers to open the Layers panel. |
| 2 | Create a New Layer | Click on the + button at the top of the Layers panel to add a new layer. |
| 3 | Name the Layer | Double-click the new layer to rename it appropriately for the object you want to layer. |
| 4 | Assigning Objects to the Layer | Select the object in your model. Right-click and choose Entity Info. In the dialog, select your new layer from the dropdown. |
| 5 | Toggle Layer Visibility | Click on the checkbox next to the layer name in the Layers panel to toggle visibility on or off. |
| 6 | Edit Layer Properties | Right-click on the layer in the Layers panel for options like Delete, Merge, etc. |
| 7 | Managing Layer Order | Drag and drop layers in the Layers panel to organize them. |
| 8 | Save Layer States | Use Scenes to save different layer states and views. Go to Window > Scenes to manage these. |
Remember, in SketchUp, layers don’t isolate geometry. They are used for visibility control and are not like layers in some other CAD programs. It’s important to group or make components of your objects before assigning them to different layers to avoid unintentional editing of hidden geometry.
This process is quite long, so it will be divided into some steps (keep in mind that figures will be used as an example).
First step
What you have to do to start is to go to the toolbar and press the option called “Rectangle”. When it is selected, click on the drawing window so that you can anchor one of the corners.
Then use the mouse to create the shape as big as you want , this action will make the shape look like layer number 0, so the next step will be to move the rectangle to another layer.
Second step
When you have ready what you want to happen, go to the menu and select “Window”, then and within it press “Layers”, there you will be shown a list with all the layers in the work you are doing.
Click on the + symbol to add a new layer, and then place the name of it. You can also decide to leave it with its default name which is layer 1, that’s up to you.
Third step
When finished with the above, go back to your rectangle and triple click on it to select it, then use the key combination Ctrl + X (cut), then hit the option button next to layer 1 to activate it.
Fourth step
To finish, touch any point on your canvas and press Ctrl + V , this action should copy your element in this other layer, so you will have already moved the object successfully. You can check that everything went well, returning you to layer 0 and making the objects of layer 1 invisible, if the rectangle disappears, it is because everything is correct.
Now you can say that you solved the question How to change the layer of an object in Sketchup? So go to your program and start going through the steps to get your job done. Remember that once the layer of any object is changed, Sketchup allows you, if you wish, to insert a background in a very simple way and also to join or combine two objects .
