The Hide tool hides buildings, trees or terrain from view in the 3D scene without deleting anything from the file. It is useful for creating a cleared-site baseline alongside a proposal, removing intervening trees to open up a view, or simplifying the scene for presentation. Hidden features can be shown again at any time.

Using the Hide tool

1. Select the Hide icon in the left-hand workflow bar.
2. Under Hide scope, select the types of feature to hide.
3. To hide features using a data layer, select a layer under Hide using, then click a segment on the canvas. Click additional segments to hide more features.
4. To hide features within a drawn area, select Begin drawing areas, click the canvas to place each point, then close the area. Select Exit drawing areas to finish.

Hide options

When the Hide tool is selected, a panel opens with the settings used to hide features. These include the selection method and feature scope.

Data layer

The Hide using dropdown sets the data layer used to select features. When a layer is selected, its segments are outlined on the canvas. Hovering over a segment previews the features that will be hidden, and clicking the segment hides them.

The list contains the area-based data layers available in the current scene. If no data layers are available, the message “No data layers available” is displayed. Features can still be hidden by drawing an area.

Hide scope

Hide scope controls which types of feature can be hidden: Buildings, Trees and Terrain. Buildings is selected by default, and any combination can be selected. When terrain is hidden, a flat surface is displayed in its place.

Drawn area

Drawing an area is an alternative to selecting features through a data layer. It allows any area to be defined on the canvas, hiding everything within it that matches the selected scope. Where the area intersects a feature, only the part inside the area is hidden.

While drawing, the distance and angle of the current line are shown. Press F2 to type an exact distance, Ctrl + Z to undo the last point, Shift to use Context Snap and Ctrl to use Global Snap.

Managing hide edits

Each hide is recorded as a separate canvas edit in the Scene Manager. A drawn hide lists the hidden feature types (Buildings, Trees and Terrain), each with its own visibility toggle. This allows individual feature types to be shown again without restoring the others. For example, trees can be shown again while buildings remain hidden.

Selecting a drawn hide opens its properties panel. For more information, see Properties panel.

Restoring hidden elements

Hidden elements appear as ghosts on the canvas. To show them again, use one of the following methods:

• Click the ghost of a hidden element.
• Turn on the visibility of the feature type in the Scene Manager.
• Revert the hide in the Scene Manager.

Limitations

Hide applies to buildings, trees and terrain only, and does not affect created massing, annotations or viewpoints. Edits cannot currently be grouped or restored all at once, so each hide is reverted individually.