Patchwork 3D Enterprise 2021.1 X5

Using Meaningful Layer Names

It is highly recommended that you give your geometry, position, illumination, aspect, overlay, and environment layers meaningful names. A meaningful name expresses the layer’s function clearly. This will greatly simplify the procedure of creating target layers for the rules governing your configurations.

Where configurations are concerned, using meaningful names does not only mean using names that allow you to remember what the layer is and does. It also means using names that allow you to make the connection between the layers themselves and eventual configuration symbols and partitions that you will create.

Name your layers according to the partition they will belong to.

Give the same prefix to all layers referring to the same configurable element, or partition. If the layer is part of a group of options in a single partition, like the paint partition in the example in the chapter Understanding Partitions, we recommend using a multi-part name constructed as follows:

  • use the partition name as a prefix,

  • followed by a point (.),

  • followed by a meaningful descriptor.

This will lead to layer names such as "paint.red" for an aspect layer with red paint, or "lever.raised" for a position layer in which a lever is in the up position.

When you create configurations rules, you will be able to use meaningful layer names to automatically generate simple rules and their symbols in the appropriate format.