Bring to Front Not Working

Bring to front/send to back does not always function - specially with imported images. It seems to work fine with lines etc. Is there anyway to resolve this? I’m using the latest version on PC.

Notes: Only the draw order of annotations, hatches, details, curves, and point objects can be changed. Surfaces, meshes, and SubDs cannot be selected by the draw order commands. Therefore, you cannot send a surface behind a hatch, but you can bring a hatch in front of a surface.

From:
https://docs.mcneel.com/rhino/7/help/en-us/index.htm#commands/draworder.htm?Highlight=bringtofront

An old wish of mine is to support draw order for surfaces/meshes/subds - in Layout space!
It does not make much sense in model/3d space, but in a 2D space, it does!

Here’s a bitter restriction: When you place multiple overlapping pictures in a layout (simply via drag&drop from the explorer), they become textured surfaces. Since surfaces don’t participate in draw order, you simply cannot reliably sort them. Which one is drawn on top is coincidental. Just zooming will reveal this.

Why would anyone put pictures in layout space? Because it’s the layouting/drawing environment in Rhino. Everything 2D goes there, can be edited like in any vector illustration apps, and exported.
That’s the vision at least. Why should it not?

Same goes for whole Detail viewports - they should support draw order, too.

Thanks!

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Thank you, that explains it.

Thanks, Eugen. I thought I was going crazy because sometimes it would seem to work and others not. And zooming in and out it almost seemed like they’d switch orders. I agree, this would be incredibly helpful for 2D drafting, particularly for trying to incorporate model elevation views in 2D drafting. I know you can have a live viewport of a model section and draw over that, but with heavy models, files can then become unmanageable.

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My hope: all these layout & draftig issues get the attention they deserve in R9.
For R8, this train has left the station. The UI update has swallowed the best part of developing juices. But once that’s off the table, maybe a good measure can be directed into drafting capabilities.

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The modelling in Rhino is incredible! I’m too looking forward to the drafting improving.

I had two inserted ‘pictures’ sligthly overlapped. You cannot use draw order on ‘pictures’
I drew the overlap as a curve and trimmed the rear picture. It’s a work around that got me where i needed to be

As Pictures are surface objects, you can overlap them how you like by moving them up or down in Z

Yes, but that doesn’t go together well with the draw order mechanism.

Is that possible in layout space?

Hi @Hurricane
Yes - just use Move with the Vertical switch and move the desired image up a bit to get it in front :slight_smile:
HTH, Jakob

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Thanks Jacob! Ahh vertical. I was using normal to thinking i wanted to move it in the Z direction. I will use vertical from now on. Thanks