How do Levels work in the Component Tree, and what are Mirror Mode and Level Clipping used for?

Overview

Levels are the organizational layer above individual components in the Component Tree. Every component lives on a Level. Levels are the key to managing complex multi-element 3D designs without chaos.

What Levels Do

The Component Tree processes bottom-up. Within each Level, all components on that Level combine with each other first. Then the Levels combine with each other (also bottom-up) to produce the final Composite Model.

Why this matters: a Level's combine mode treats everything inside it as one combined unit when it interacts with the Levels below it. You can build a sub-assembly (a set of leaves, for example) inside one Level, then combine that whole group with the background as one unit.

Level Properties (Right-click a Level)

Right-clicking a Level in the Component Tree opens a menu with Level-specific options:

• Combine mode: a Level has its own combine mode, like a component. It controls how the Level's combined result interacts with the Levels below it.
• Show or hide: hides the Level and consequently the components on it. Hidden Levels do not contribute to the Composite Model.
• Select components: selects every component on the Level.
• Clipping and Mirror Mode: level effects that apply to the combined components without changing the individual components (details below).
• Wrapping: available for rotary jobs only.
• Insert, delete and rename the Level. Clear names ("Background," "Border," "Foreground Leaves") matter in complex models.
• Export as 3D Clipart: exports the whole Level as a .3dClip file. It comes back in as a group.

Moving a component to another Level: right-click the component and choose the option to move it to a new or existing Level.

Level properties: double-click a Level to open Component Properties for it, where you can set values such as its combine mode, base height and appearance. These properties are dynamic, so they do not permanently change your components.

Base Height: in Component Properties you can give a Level a Base Height. This raises everything on the Level visually, without adding a base height to the components themselves. It is useful for raising a set of foreground elements above a background texture. Level Base Heights are not included when you bake the components on that Level. They are a separate value added after the objects on the Level have been combined.

Mirror Mode

When a mirror mode is set on a Level, all the components it contains are continually mirrored as you move, transform or edit them. The mirroring is non-destructive: you can turn it on or off at any time without altering the underlying components. You edit only half (or a quarter) of the design.

Available Mirror Modes

Right-click the Level, choose Mirror Mode, then pick one:

One plane of symmetry (work in one half):

• Left to Right: place components in the left half; the mirrored copy appears in the right half.
• Right to Left, Top to Bottom, Bottom to Top: the same idea for the other directions.

Two planes of symmetry (work in one quarter):

• Top Left Quadrant, Top Right Quadrant, Bottom Left Quadrant, Bottom Right Quadrant: keep all your components in that quarter of the job. Reflections horizontally and vertically are created in the other three quadrants.

There is no rotational mirror mode.

Use cases: symmetrical borders and frames, bilateral designs with matching side elements, four-way patterns, and one-sided face modeling.

Example: a symmetrical decorative sign panel. Turn on Left to Right on a Level, then design the left half of the border, clipart and frame. The right half appears automatically.

Level Clipping

Level Clipping dynamically trims the combined components on a Level to the inside of selected closed vectors. The level is constrained to the chosen vectors without affecting the underlying components. Everything inside the vectors is left untouched and everything outside is removed.

To apply it:

1. Select the closed vector(s) that mark the boundary.
2. Right-click the Level in the Component Tree and choose Clipping > Apply.

To change the boundary: the clip does not follow the vectors on its own. If you edit or move the clipping vector, select it (or a different vector) and choose Clipping > Update. If nothing is selected and the previous vector is still in the job, that vector is reused.

To turn it off: choose Clipping > Remove.

The clipping itself is dynamic with respect to the components: you can modify, rearrange or move the components on the Level and the clip is applied to the changed model.

Use cases:

• Confining a texture or pattern to the inside of a shape such as the oval of a plaque.
• Trying different clip shapes on the same texture without rebuilding the model.
• Inset panel designs where one area has 3D texture and the surrounding field is flat.

Another use: cropping an imported model to a shape, or making complex shaped panels without cutting them out by hand.

Example: a wood grain texture component covers the full job, but you want it only in the sign's center oval. Put the texture on its own Level and apply Level Clipping with the oval vector. You can still edit and move the texture component freely.

Practical Level Organization Strategy

One layered structure that works for complex multi-element designs (a starting point, adapt it to your project):

Level: Foreground (Merge)
  - Main subject components (face, animal, etc.)

Level: Mid-ground (Merge)
  - Decorative flourishes, secondary elements

Level: Border (Add)
  - Frame or border elements

Level: Background (Add)
  - Background dome or panel

The background establishes the foundation, the border adds on top of it, mid-ground elements merge into the border Level, and the foreground subject merges on top. Toggle each Level on and off to see how it contributes, which is useful for troubleshooting.

Common Mistakes

• Putting every component on one Level with no organization. With 15 or more components the tree becomes unmanageable and combine mode interactions become hard to predict.
• Manually duplicating and flipping elements instead of using Mirror Mode.
• Adding Base Height to a Level and expecting baking to include it. Level Base Heights are not baked into components.
• Moving the clipping vector and expecting the clip to follow. Use Clipping > Update.
• Not naming Levels.

For how the whole Component Tree combines components bottom-up, see the entry on how the Component Tree works. For a project organization strategy (naming, Level structure, versioned saves), see the entry on organizing a complex multi-component model. For the combine modes themselves, see the entry on how the Combine Modes work.