Parallel to the increase in the number of facilities, the need for their organization also grows. This can be achieved in two ways – using layers (Display Layers) and grouping (Object Groups).

Before that, I will show you how you can enrich your scene with objects originating from independent files, combine their content. To this end, you need to look for the Import item in the File menu and start the Merge function. After that, the contents of the folder that includes all the existing scenes will appear on the screen, so it will not be difficult for you to find the one you need. I will select the file called 05_01_drone.max and by clicking on the Open button go to the next step. Since this scene includes a large number of different elements, the program will offer me the possibility to choose what I need, and I will select all the objects in one move and complete the entire process with OK. As you can see, now my scene has become much more complex because an object representing a drone has appeared on it. Since all its parts are currently selected, I just need to click on the free surface of the screen and thus cancel the selection.

Now this scene contains a sufficient number of elements, so I could move on to the main topic of this lesson, which is the use of layers (Display Layers). They allow you to temporarily remove (Hide) or freeze certain elements and thus prevent inadvertent changes. This is exactly how I protected the surfaces that represent the field and the fence, which means that they are currently out of my reach because they are on frozen layers.

To show you what it’s really about, I will start the Layer Explorer function by selecting this icon, and this will immediately be reflected in the contents of the Command panel. In other words, a new section will appear in the lower right corner, and in order to better see what is on it, I will move this border with one move of the mouse and enlarge the entire segment. One of the items that appear in the list is called Set, and if I click on this arrow, you will see that it includes two elements – Ground and Wall. If I click on the eye-shaped icon on the left, the selected element will disappear from the screen, and if I apply the same procedure to the item representing the Layer, everything on it will become invisible.

Similarly, I can temporarily freeze certain elements, and that’s what the snowflake icon is for. In this case, it is located next to the label of the Layer itself, which means that currently all the elements that it includes are within my reach. Admittedly, this can be changed very easily because it is enough for me to click on this icon once and thus establish a normal order. I prefer that these elements remain protected, so I will activate the Freeze function again and thus ensure their immutability.

If you want to create a new layer, you can do so in a very simple way. I will use the opportunity to place the light source, the element called Sun Positioner, on a separate Layer, so I will first select it and then look for the icon with the plus sign in this section. It represents the Create New Layer function, which means that only one mouse move is enough for a new item to appear in the list. It will automatically get the appropriate name (Layer001), and I’ll take the opportunity to enter Lights instead and complete the process that way. As you can see, the element representing the light source (Sun Positioner) is automatically placed on a new Layer, which means that I can protect it from possible changes. To this end, it is enough to click on this icon and thus start the Freeze function. After that, this element will become completely unavailable, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve.

Before I finish the story about layers, I would like to draw your attention to one more detail. Namely, as soon as you create a new Layer, it will automatically become active, as confirmed by the green icon on the left. This status guarantees that every new element will be automatically placed on the selected layer, and since it is reserved for lighting, I will immediately click on the field next to the item that represents the default layer and thus avoid unnecessary complications. After all, almost all other elements are already on this layer, so it is logical that it also includes new objects. Before moving on to the next topic, I will click on this icon to close the Layer Explorer and remove the section of the same name.

You can connect related elements in the so-called groups and thus ensure that they behave as a whole. To show you how it looks in practice, I will select all the objects that make up this drone in one move and then launch the function of the same name from the Group menu. As soon as a new frame appears on the screen, I will have the opportunity to enter the name under which this object will be presented, and it would not be bad if it also contains a term that denotes a group. That is why I will simply remove the numerical value and add the word drone to the rest of the name. As soon as I close this frame by selecting the OK button, all the selected elements will be connected into a single unit, which means that now only one mouse click is enough to select the entire drone. This practically means that to move the entire object it is only necessary to run the appropriate command and use the common Gizmo.

If you want to explore this object in more detail, you can do so by using the Scene Explorer function. To that end, you need to click on the icon of the same name, and as soon as a new frame appears on the screen, you will be able to see what all fall under the umbrella of this group. To select them, it is enough to click on the item at the top of the list, although the same result can be achieved by selecting any component.

If you want to change the current state, you can achieve this by using one of the functions found in the Group menu. In other words, if you select the Open option, you will be able to access one of the elements that make up the selected group. At that moment, a special frame will be displayed around the entire object, which means that it is now possible to click on some of its parts. For direct selection of the entire group, it is enough to click on one of these purple lines or on the item at the top of the list. In order for the selected group to become unique again, it is necessary to start the Close option, and I will take the opportunity to return to the previous state by choosing the Ungroup option, disband the entire group.