Every site study pulls in context: parcels, zoning, flood overlays, your own massing. The Layer Palette keeps all of it in one list, so you can decide what shows on the map while you test a scheme. Drawing layers, data layers, portfolio layers, and the project boundary all appear here together.
Open the Layer Palette
Click the Layers icon, which looks like a stack of shapes. The Layer Palette opens in a panel. If it is missing from your layout, add the app to a panel.
Header buttons
The top of the Layer Palette has four buttons.
Search layers (magnifying glass) filters the list by layer name. Groups that hold a match open automatically.
Save Visibility (floppy disk) saves the current visibility and grouping as the project default. The button stays disabled until you change something.
Add Data Layer opens the Layer Library, where you search for public data or add your own.
Add Drawing Layer adds a new drawing layer to draw on.
The layer tree
The layer tree is the list of layers in your project. Each row shows the layer name, a type icon, an opacity control, and an eye to show or hide it. Drawing layers and groups also have a padlock to lock them.
Select layers in the Layer Palette
Click a row to select it. Shift-click another row to select every row between them. Cmd/Ctrl-click to add or remove a single row. Click empty space in the list to clear the selection. The eye, padlock, opacity, and right-click menu then act on every selected layer at once. Learn how to act on several layers at once.
Right-click a layer
Right-click any row to see what you can do with that layer. The options depend on the layer type.
Drawing layers: Set active layer, Select all, Zoom to bounds, Show or Hide, Hide others, Hide other drawing layers, Lock or Unlock, Duplicate, Rename…, Add to scenario…, and Delete….
Data layers: Show or Hide, Hide others, Open Table, Edit layer style, Show legend, Manage…, Zoom to bounds, and Remove from project.
Groups: Show or Hide, Hide others, Lock group, Select all, Zoom to bounds, Duplicate drawing layers, Rename…, and Delete group….
Right-click empty space in the list to Show all layers, expand or collapse every group, or add a drawing or data layer.
Learn how to show, hide, and fade layers while you compare options on a site.