Can't draw over inserted file

steve mckenzie · February 2017

Hi,

How do I:

Insert a bitmap file and then draw OVER it?

Every time I try to do this, anything I add goes UNDER the inserted file so I can't see it.

I've tried putting the inserted file on the 'background' sheet and moving that down beneath other sheets. This has absolutely no effect.

Driving me nuts.

Monsen · February 2017

Make sure the bitmap is on a sheet that is early in the drawing order. I recommend creating a separate sheet for it, and then position that sheet nearly at the top of the list.
If you don't see any effect, use the list command on the inserted bitmap to make sure it is on the sheet you expect it to be.

JMunsonII · February 2017

In addition to Monsen's comments, I would create a sheet just for that bitmap (and also a layer so you can hide it when you want). If it is just a reference, call it that, and I'd also add a Transparency effect to it, and set that to something like 40% (feel free to adjust as you need to, or uncheck the effect to turn it off as you need to). That way you can move the sheet up or down in the order as you like, and still be able to see what is underneath when you need to (I'm a bit redundant with the "need to" - sorry

). One example of this is when you draw your floors but need to see the interior walls on the reference.

steve mckenzie · February 2017

Yay, that worked.

My issue was that I had assumed the sheets at the 'top' of the sheet list would be on the top of the drawing. So I kept putting the background layer down the bottom of the list - which effectively means it is on the top of the drawing.

I think.

Anyway it's working now. Thanks.

JMunsonII · February 2017

Ha - yes, the topmost sheet in the list is the first sheet drawn (or, rather, appears at the bottom of the visible stack of sheets), and each sheet lower in the list gets drawn on top of the sheet prior in the list. Took me a wee bit to fully grasp that myself.

Thus (just for illustration), if your list is (top-down):

Sheet 1
Sheet 2
Sheet 3

The rendering order is going to be

Sheet 1 <- drawn first
Sheet 2 <- drawn on top of ^ that sheet
Sheet 3 <- drawn on top of ^ that sheet

However, if you move sheets:

Sheet 2
Sheet 3
Sheet 1

Your rendering order will be:

Sheet 2
Sheet 3
Sheet 1

Another confusing way to think of it what's on top in the list, is what's on bottom when drawn...

Maybe that'll help someone, maybe not...

Loopysue · February 2017

Think of it as being upside down, and you will be fine.

btw - when you get to adding multiple sheet effects to one sheet the same thing applies to the ordering of those effects. For instance if you add a shadow effect, and then a bevel effect the shadow will be bevelled. In that instance you would need to add the bevel first (top of the list), and then the shadow.

JimP · February 2017

my example:

sea
land
rivers
text

The text being drawn last.

Jason · February 2017

Think of every sheet as you go down the list as being drawn on top of the last - like coats of paint. : )

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Can't draw over inserted file

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