Layer Properties
Within the Layer Manager, layers have properties to control how they are displayed in the 3D View and used for calculation.
These Layer Properties are as follows:
- Hide
If the hide button is enabled, the layer is hidden from the 3D View – IE it will not be visible & not included within the SPL Pressure Calculation.
- Enable
The enable button determines if the layer is included in the calculations for sound pressure mapping. If mapping large symmetric venues, the pressure calculation can be sped up by only enabling calculations on half of the surfaces, or only the surfaces of interest.
- Obstacle
There is an obstacle button on each layer within the layer list. By default, all layers are ‘transparent’ to audio; that is, if a loudspeaker is directed at two surfaces, and one of these surfaces is blocking the other, mapping will be shown on both surfaces with no interaction. With the obstacle button engaged, the layer that is blocking the second will cast a shadow on it. For example, this can be very useful to see in a theatre, where there is a balcony above the stalls. With the obstacle property set on the balcony, the shading caused by the balcony will be witnessed on the stalls, if the loudspeaker system is flown too high. This is not without compromise, for obstacle detection takes extra calculation time - so by default, layers are not nominated to be obstacles. By using the obstacle feature sparingly & considering where it is used carefully, calculation time can be kept to a minimum.
- Scenery
There is a scenery button on each layer within the layer list. If a layer is marked as ‘scenery’, an audience ear height listening level is not drawn, only the base layer underneath. Furthermore, as there is no ear listening level, there is no calculation performed on the surface. This has the effect of reducing calculation time for the SPL mapping. This is useful for adding visual layers to represent structural elements or ‘scenery’ to make the project file look more realistic.
- Colour
The background colour defined when creating or editing a layer is displayed here for visual reference.
- Edit
Clicking each layer’s ‘Edit Pencil’ icon will open a controller for adjusting the parameters of that layer.