The Project Boundary layer puts your site outline in the Layer Palette, alongside the rest of your project's layers. Use it to fade the site line back while you test massing, pull it forward when you present a parcel, or jump straight into editing the boundary that drives your site area and FAR.
Find the project boundary layer
Every project has a Project Boundary layer in the Layer Palette. It has a frame icon. In a new project, it sits near the top of the layer tree, below the default drawing layer and above the Base Map group.
The layer's name tells you the state of the project boundary:
Project Boundary: the project has a boundary.
Project Boundary (Not drawn): the project has no boundary yet.
Project Boundary (Editing): the boundary editor is open. The name is highlighted while you edit.
Right-click the Project Boundary layer to see all of its actions.
Show or hide the project boundary
Click the eye icon on the Project Boundary layer in the Layer Palette to show or hide the boundary on the map.
OR
Right-click the Project Boundary layer and choose Hide or Show.
Hiding the project boundary only changes what you see on the map. Site area, FAR, and other site calculations still use the boundary.
If the Project Boundary layer sits inside a group that is turned off, the boundary is hidden and its eye icon is disabled. Turn the group back on to show the boundary.
Edit the project boundary from the Layer Palette
Right-click the Project Boundary layer in the Layer Palette.
Choose Edit boundary.
The boundary editor opens on the map. The layer name changes to Project Boundary (Editing), and the menu item reads Editing… until you finish.
If the boundary is hidden when you choose Edit boundary, Giraffe shows it again so you can see what you're editing. If the project has no boundary yet, Giraffe prompts you to draw a polygon or place a point.
See Edit the Boundary for everything you can do in the boundary editor, and for other ways to open it.
Zoom to the project boundary
Right-click the Project Boundary layer in the Layer Palette and choose Zoom to boundary. The map moves to fit your site. This option only appears when the project has a boundary.
Move the project boundary layer
Drag the Project Boundary layer up or down in the Layer Palette to change what order it renders on the map. The boundary renders above the layers below it in the tree, and below the layers above it. Drawn geometries and 3D buildings always draw on top of the boundary, wherever the layer sits.
To put the Project Boundary layer in a group, drag it onto a group, or onto another layer to make a new group.
Can I Delete, rename, or lock the project boundary layer?
The Project Boundary layer is permanent. It has no delete, rename, or lock option, because the boundary is part of the project itself.
To remove the boundary's shape, right-click the Project Boundary layer and choose Edit boundary. Click Clear in the boundary editor, then click Save changes. The layer stays in the Layer Palette as Project Boundary (Not drawn).
Without a boundary, Giraffe can't calculate site area, FAR, or other site measures.
Project boundary layer for viewers
If you have view-only access to a project, the Project Boundary layer's right-click menu has no Edit boundary or Edit style… option. You can still show or hide the boundary, change its opacity, and zoom to it.