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Layer Manager Ctrl+L

Layers and layer groups

Layers are the way to bring structure into your drawing. Think of layers as transparent sheets stacked on top of each other. You decide what is visible, what is protected, and where you are working.

Pythagoras supports up to 4095 layers per file. Each layer has a name and can be managed individually or in groups. When copying, importing, or exporting, we recommend working with a fixed layer structure. This prevents confusion and avoids renaming layers when combining drawings (see also: Working with Prototypes).

What can you do in Layer Management?

• Make layers visible or invisible (V - visible)

• Protect layers from modifications (P - protected)

• Set layers as 'Wallpaper' – visible, but not selectable or editable (W)

• Activate a layer (the layer where new objects will be created)

• Group layers for better overview

• Automatically delete empty layers

• Set scale-dependent visibility

Active layer or group

Use the dropdown menu at the top right to select which layer is active for drawing.

Attributes

Each document can assign the following attributes to layers or groups:

• V - Visible: Determines if the layer is shown in the drawing.

• P - Protected: The layer is visible, but objects cannot be modified or deleted.

• W - Wallpaper: The layer is only passively visible; objects are not selectable or editable.

Using groups

In large projects, it’s useful to group layers. This allows you to make several layers visible, protected, or wallpaper in one step.

Add layers to a group:

1. Click + (New) on the left to create a new group.

2. Give the group a name.

3. Select the layers you want to add on the right.

4. Click the left arrow to add the layers to the group.

• A layer can belong to multiple groups or none at all.

• You can filter by group by selecting 'All layers / only layers in this group'.

• When you apply an attribute to a group (visible, protected, wallpaper), it applies automatically to all layers in that group.

Scale-dependent visibility

You can set a layer to be visible only between certain zoom levels. This keeps your drawing clear.

Example:
Show between 1:10,000 and 1:5,000 → useful for city plans or detailed maps.

Note: If you activate a scale-dependent layer to draw new objects, that restriction is temporarily ignored so new objects don’t immediately disappear.

Delete empty layers or groups

Use the buttons at the bottom to quickly clean up empty layers or groups.
Condition: the active layer cannot be an empty layer.

Tips for efficient layer management

• Use clear layer names.

• Assign fixed colors per layer type.

• Document your layer structure.

• Standardize the use of layers to avoid mistakes when copying/pasting or importing/exporting between drawings. See also: Working with Prototypes.