---
title: "Working with Layers"
slug: "working-with-layers"
updated: 2026-04-21T09:01:15Z
published: 2026-04-21T09:01:15Z
canonical: "docs.avontus.com/working-with-layers"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.avontus.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Working with Layers

Layers enable you to group bays, pictures, and other objects onto the drawing page. Using layer controls, you can lock an item's position, hide items from view, etc. This section of the Avontus Designer help explain how to add items to a layer and how to manage layers and layer properties.

## Adding a Layer

You can add a new layer to assign objects to it

1. In the toolbar, select the **Drawing** tab. The *Layer Properties* dialog appears.
2. In the **Drawing** tab, select **Layer** and click **Layer Properties** ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/layer%20properties(1).gif) The *Layer Properties* dialog appears.
3. In the **Layer** **Properties** dialog, select **New** **![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/c9c84f8a-803b-4193-b1fb-8a7197a14f7f.png)** The *New Layer* dialog appears.
4. Specify the name of the new layer and click OK ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/16454142-94a1-4fb7-b0e3-9017f315de8a.png) The new layer appears in the list of layers. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/f93c68fc-3fae-4124-9a34-7054dc73d643.png)

## Adding Items to Layers

When you add an item to a layer, that item is visible if the layer is visible. For example. you could add Walls to the Wall later.

To add items to a layer:

1. Select the item(s) on the drawing page you would like to add to a layer. We will select the two walls.
2. Click the **Drawing** tab, then click the **Layers** dropdown Select **Assign to Layer.** The *Layer* dialog appears.
3. Click the checkbox(es) to the left of the appropriate layer name(s). In this example, we will select Walls **Note: You can also create a new layer by clicking New**
4. Click **OK**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/assign%20layer.gif)

If you disable the Wall layer in the **Layer** **Properties**, the walls will be removed from the drawing

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/walls%20removed.gif)

## Assigning Layer Properties

Layer properties can affect the way a layer behaves. For example, you can lock a layer's drawing elements in place or disallow printing of some elements on a layer. Avontus Designer enables you to assign properties to many items on a layer in a drawing.

To assign layer properties:

1. Click the **Drawing** tab, then click the **Layers** dropdown and select **Layer Properties**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/1a9a3cae-eabd-42bb-bb2c-32da579aff58.png) The *Layer* dialog appears.
2. To enable/disable options, click the appropriate checkbox(es).

Common options include:

| **Visible** | When enabled, items assigned to this layer will be visible on the drawing page. When disabled, items will be hidden from the drawing page but may still be included in calculations, selections, and other actions. |
| --- | --- |
| **Print** | When disabled, items assigned to this layer will not be included in printed copies of the drawing. |
| **Active** | Automatically assigns shapes to active layers when the shapes are added to the diagram. |
| **Lock** | When enabled, items assigned to this layer will be locked in their current state. Locked items cannot be moved, selected, or edited. |
| **Snap** | Turns the snap function on or off for that layer. |
| **Glue** | Turns the glue function on or off for that layer. |
| **Color** | Shows or hides the layer color. |
| **Remove Unreferenced Layers** | When selected, layers that have no assigned items will be removed from the list, leaving just the layers in use. |

For example, we can disable the Visble checkbox of the Wall layer

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/add5b53e-ae31-41ab-b8cf-be68a24a556e.png)
3. Click **OK** and any items assigned to the wall will be visible.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/image-EVU16YET.png)

## Renaming a Layer

You can rename a layer at any time to suit your needs.

To rename a layer:

1. In the toolbar, select the **Drawing** tab ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/a3ab75c4-634c-4778-9968-69adb4249f3d.png) The *Layer Properties* dialog appears.
2. In the **Drawing** tab, select **Layer** and click **Layer** Properties **![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/687bd8f2-bd89-442e-9acc-654fa8f1f34f.png)** The *Rename Layer* dialog appears.
3. Click the appropriate layer to select it, then click **Rename**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/132913cc-761e-47a4-bdd0-9e016b1f3e32.png)
4. Click in the text field and enter the name of the new layer. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/85bc3453-c259-4c97-831a-046d6ca0b65b.png) The *Layer Properties* dialog returns.
5. Click **OK**. The *Layer Properties* dialog returns. The layer name will be changed ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/b8cc9deb-7244-49bb-b101-f20fc390eb04.png)

## Removing a Layer

You can remove any layer at any time.

To remove a layer:

1. Click the **Drawing** tab, then click the **Layers** dropdown and select **Layer Properties**. The *Layer* dialog appears.
2. In the **Drawing** tab, select **Layer** and click **Layer Properties** ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/layer%20properties(1).gif)
3. Click the appropriate layer to select it, then click **Remove**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/c807f020-919d-4b96-8d2f-acc1ac9024d2.png)
4. Click **Yes** to confirm the removal of the layer. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/9a9a05e6-490d-4aca-99d8-529c9e837255.png) The layer will be removed
5. Click **OK** ![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae69c864-58f0-4711-91e1-d1c2f7dff95f/Images/Documentation/c943e4a7-8b27-4424-ae15-cb9c99e7db1d.png)