VectorWorks “design” layers (where drawings are created) can have height. If a wall is eight feet high, the design layer can be as well. This allows for a true 3D representation of a model. Show and hide design layers as needed, to display certain aspects of a design. Objects placed together in design layers are related in space. Design layers help automate some aspects of wall creation as well as provide other advantages. Each VectorWorks design layer can have a different scale. Special “sheet” layers are used for creating viewports; these are multiple linked views of a drawing, complete with annotation, and ready for the presentation of a final design to a client. In VectorWorks Design Series, viewports also can be created on design layers, which can show one or more design layers from its own file, or from an external file.
Classes associate objects across layers. Classes are used to classify objects and can have specific display attributes, such as color. Classes are used to speed the drawing process, since attributes can be specified at object creation, and to control the visibility of these related groups. Each object can only be assigned one class, but each object can be composed of other nested objects, which can each be assigned a different class.
A particular view of the drawing, such as one which shows only certain layers and classes, can be saved. Take a snapshot of a combination of layers and classes and then print the view. Layers, classes, and views are described in detail in
Drawing Structure.