Tutorial 3: Grouping with Layouts

In this tutorial, you'll learn everything about layouts in EnergyPlanner, enabling you to toggle between different scenarios within any Windplanner module.

Go to the module of your choosing layouts and select New Layout. Please give it a name and color. And click on Save. When placing your object in a new layout, make sure that it's selected in the placed tool.

Now place the models in the 3D world under the new layout we just created.

To toggle between the first set of turbines and the second set of turbines, go to the layout list and click on the show Hide icons to make the placements disappear or appear again. Swapping one possible composition for the other.

These toggles between different options allow us to effectively communicate potential plans to stakeholders.

Here I've already placed multiple objects under the same layout. To assign a new layout to models that have already been placed.

Select the objects. Click on edit through the context menu and select a separate layout configuration through the dropdown.

Though these models are now in a different layout, they've retained their numbering of four, five, and six. So to renumber these objects to make them match your GIS project, for example, click on the layout editor icon. And then click on Renumber all objects in layout.

Again, we've successfully created the possibility to effectively toggle between different scenarios.

Let's say you want to use this functionality to toggle between different 3D models or slight model variations, while retaining positioning. Start by navigating to the 3D model list again within any of the modules. Select the model you want to change and then duplicate it.

Go to the new model settings and customize it to your liking. For this example, I will add blade markings to these wind turbines.

When you're done making changes, go to the layout list. And duplicate the existing layout configuration by selecting it and hitting Duplicate selected layout. We can edit the name of this duplicate by going into its settings.

Now hide the original layout by clicking on the Show Hide icon. Then select all objects within this newly created layout.

Click on edit through the context menu. And through the 3D model dropdown. Assign the changed 3D model you just made.

And there you go. Now you know how to leverage the power of layout duplication. A classic example of when you want to use layouts across different modules is while you're using Solarplanner to place solar panels, and Objectplanner to place mitigating measures around your solar park. When we go into the settings of these trees and click on the layout they're assigned to, we see that this layout doesn't only contain trees and hedges, but also a solar park.

In other words, layouts work the same for all modules and apply across your entire project regardless of object type.

In the same way, we could toggle layouts of high voltage transmission lines.

or make layouts consisting of all modules at once. In that respect. That's all for this lesson. We hope you now understand how to use layouts in EnergyPlanner.