Much of Vectorworks’s core functionality is derived from how you organize the content you create. In the same way that a librarian will index using taxonomies to store and display books on shelves, Vectorworks uses a similar construct called Layers and Classes.
When you open a clean blank document, it will always have a single Design Layer and two Classes.
There are many ways to access the Classes and Design Layers in your file, but the most comprehensive way is to use the Organization Dialog, which can be accessed from the Tools Menu.
- Menu > Tools > Organization…
Classes
Classes are the best mechanism for controlling the look and visibility of all the object geometry in a file.
Design Layers
Design Layers will help you control the visibility of objects based on their context and location.
Additional Organization
The Organization dialog contains several other Tabs that allow you to create and edit all the different organizational functions within the program. Each one of these functions will become essential as the user becomes more confident inside the Vectorworks environment.
Sheet Layers
Sheet Layers are a seperate design environment where the user concentrates solely on the publishing and distribution of the design.
Viewports
There are windows into your design and can be viewed from many locations in the drawing area.
Saved Views
Saved Views give you instant recall of views and visibility settings within the programme.
References
Referencing is common to all CAD programs and allows the user to view the work of collaborators without loading their work into the file. Most importantly, this functionality allows a user to keep up to date with their collaborators' work as it changes.
Object Level Visibility
All the functionality in the Organization Palette relies on controlling Objects and their visibilities using Classes and Layers. However, sometimes, when creating geometry or finalizing the results in Sheet Layer Viewports, a more ad hoc method of controlling visibility is needed.
There is a quick and easy mechanism to hide and restore geometry, which can be a useful alternative to complex nested Classes and extra Design Layers.