Layers

Owned by 4A Games
Sept 29, 2022
4 min read

Overview 

Layers are conventional sections of a level among which all objects on the level are distributed. They are designed to prevent several people from modifying the exact same objects at the exact same time.

Toolbar 

IconOptionDescription
Activate layerSet the current layer as active.
Add layerAdd a new layer (this will not become an active layer).
Remove layerRemove the current layer.
Rename layerRename the current layer.
Refresh layers Check the status "Read-only" of the layer files from your \content\maps\ folder and set the same status to your layers.

Undo SelectionOnly as far as layer selections are concerned.

Redo SelectionOnly as far as layer selections are concerned.

Find field This is where you type in what you are looking for.

Cancel typing.

Hold CTRL while clicking layer names to select or deselect multiple layers at once – just like objects in the Object List, for example.

Layer List

IcoLOptionDescription
Layers The layer list.
Count The number of objects that belong to a particular layer, useful for optimization purposes.

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Skip Load
  • The filled icon means the layer's loaded and is effectively present at the scene().
  • The "empty" icon means the layer is unloaded and is effectively absent from the scene ().

Visible 
  • The eye icon with an absent eye pupil means the layer is hidden (i.e. as if all its objects were hidden).
  • The eye icon with a visible eye pupil means the layer is visible (default).

Helpers Visible
  • The "filled" icon () means that helping objects (restrictors, AI points, floating arrows, etc.) that belong to this layer will be rendered.
  • The "empty" icon () means they will not be rendered.

RMB Utils

OptionDescription
Add FolderAdds a new folder to the list.
MergeMerge selected layers into one (effectively like a smart combination of Add, Remove, and Rename).
Use AI Map Distances
Make Read-only (DBG Only)

Advanced Option 

A debug option which lets you unlock a layer without actually getting a lock for it. Same as manually unticking the read-only attribute of layer LUA-files. 

Reveal In ExplorerNavigates to actual LUA-files of a layer within your \content\maps\ folder
Each level consists of the following LUA-files:
  • la_layername.lua
  • la_layername.navmesh
  • la_layername.decals


The first one of them is the most important one as well as the only one that gets the lock – if we're talking about actual game levels.
Expand AllExpands the hierarchy list (a standard list explorer view option in the editor).
Collapse AllCollapses the hierarchy list (a standard list explorer view option in the editor).
Filter Uses Find Field to show only those items that correspond to the query (the standard list explorer view option in the editor).
Plain Mode

Neglect the "folder" or "group" approach and show all layers as a simple list instead.
It is possible to group layers for better navigation purposes by putting them into improvised folders. 
To do that, Drag-n-Drop one layer on top of the other with your LMB. Be sure to input the folder's name:

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