[jrm1]

Is there a way to assign different layers to a scene so as to avoid having to switch on and off various different layers for different scenes and camera views?

[JDHill]

I don't really follow your meaning. Of course you can put Scene Objects on layers like anything else, and parent different cameras under them, and so forth, but there's nothing special there. As far as the plugin is concerned, the only way it uses layers, is that when exporting the scene, it ignores anything that is on a layer that's not currently visible.

[jrm1]

I'll try and explain better what I'm trying to do. I'm working on still images and there are occasions when a chair or wall is right in the way of the camera and I want to hide it/them. So I go to the respective layer/s and turn off those unnecessary layers so that I get a clear 'shot'.

I was hoping to find out how I could save the layer visibilities for each shot so I don't have to check each layer each time I recompose a shot for a new render view.

Does that make sense?

[JDHill]

I think you're looking for something like this.

[jrm1]

Thanks but I was hoping there was something already built in. I can't afford 295 dollars.

[JDHill]

That was just the first example I found with google -- there are a lot of plugins out there, so maybe you can find a free one, or a cheaper one, which does something similar. Conceptually, what you are looking for is something that sits above the layer functionality in Cinema, and by which you are able to create and manage snapshots of your complete layer state, and quickly switch between them. I would think that would be a feature that Maxon could add pretty simply, by creating something like the notion of a "layer container" (maybe call it a "layer state") to the layer manager, where each layer could be parented to more than one container.

[jrm1]

Sounds like a great idea. Sketchup, as you know, use scenes which can have different layers active at will.