Organize pattern layers and groups

Choose a drawing destination, organize shapes, and control visibility and selection in Workshop.

These instructions are for Armorsmith Designer 2.1.1.0. Earlier versions, including 2.1.0.10, can show different panels and labels.

Use drawing layers to organize a workspace’s outlines, images, and text. For a foam armor panel, keep the base outline, raised trim, and reference image on separate drawing layers so you can find and protect them while drafting.

These are drawing layers. For physical height and raised foam pieces, use foam layers.

Choose a drawing layer

Drawing layers organize outlines and reference images; Drawing Into identifies the destination for new objects.

1. Open Workshop and choose the workspace.
2. Open Workbench → Browse → Patterns.
3. Click + Layer, then name the layer.
4. Use Set As Drawing Layer on the layer’s context menu.
5. Check Drawing Into before creating the next object.

The drawing destination and the selected object serve different purposes. A hidden or locked destination is shown as such; choose an editable layer before drafting.

Move and rename content

Use Search Layers And Patterns to find items. Select a layer or item and click Rename, or press F2.

Right-click selected items and choose Move To Layer to choose an existing destination. Use New Layer From Selection to organize those items into a new layer. The up/down layer controls change drawing order; they do not change a foam piece’s physical height.

Group and ungroup

Select the drawing objects you want to handle together, then choose Group Selection (Ctrl+G). Use Ungroup (Ctrl+Shift+G) to separate the group again.

Expand a group in the browser and select a member when you need to edit that item directly. A group is an organizational selection; it is different from an instance whose outline edits are linked to another pattern.

Hide, isolate, and lock

Use the Viewport column to show or hide a layer or item. Alt-click a visibility control to isolate or restore visibility; the context menu also offers Isolate / Restore Visibility.

Use the Lock column to protect content from selection while working nearby. A parent group or layer can hide or lock its children. If an item’s own visibility switch does not reveal it, check its parents too.

Delete safely

Check the selection before pressing Delete or using the context menu:

• Delete Selected Items removes those items.
• Delete Layer And Contents removes the layer and everything inside it. The confirmation identifies the layer.
• Ungroup separates members instead of deleting them.

Use Edit → Undo to reverse an unwanted change. Save the costume after organizing the workspace.