Designer showing layers grouped under a hidden layer

[iamasmith]

Sounds a bit dumb but I'm learning the tool and the workflow.

I'm deeply into dropping new vectors inside main areas to bound them, I really love this feature.

When I'm deep into a project though I might want to revisit groups of layers within groups and not show the whole thing, just that subgroup of layers.

My current approach is to move the subgroup out to the top so it's outside of something hidden so I can isolate it from the other stuff where I'm going to put it back, work on the edits and additions and then try to put it back but I'm sure as you know the little thumbnails in the layer panel don't really help once you have 300+ nested objects.

Is there a way that I'm missing to show a subgroup of layers that I can focus on when the parent layer is hidden?

[iamasmith]

Incredible, I found a YouTube video immediately after this explaining how to get into 'Isolaition Mode' using the Alt key (Desktop Windows version obviously - although oddly they seemed to have Mac top bar Icons so I don't know why they said Alt) - using the modifier onscreen (Command Controller) with the Option Icon does this exact thing.

Now I'm wondering if there's a way to use this AND select a top level reference layer..? - helpfully, I have a Magic Keyboard for my iPad, don't usually use it when drawing but it did let me try other modifier permutations and I couldn't get anything to do what I wanted. Logically I thought Opt clicking on the reference layer might bring it up but that seemed to select a whole load of other stuff.

Edited November 17, 2023 by iamasmith

[NathanC]

Welcome to the forums @iamasmith,

On 11/17/2023 at 8:18 PM, iamasmith said:

Now I'm wondering if there's a way to use this AND select a top level reference layer..?

If I have interpreted correctly - there's not that i'm aware of using isolation mode since the function only works on a per group/object basis, so if I had my top container layer with objects hidden and a sub group nested into that container layer, I could use the the Alt/Opt + click to go into isolation mode on that group to reveal it again, but I couldn't then 'Expand' on my isolation selection to also include/reveal that top hidden layer.

[iamasmith]

Thanks @NathanC I was hoping that a shift modifier or something similar may allow you to select the groups. Anyhow, Isolation mode answered my first question, I can maybe work around this having 2 artboards open using one for reference. Thanks again