Layers Panel

Prerequisites

• A Nira account on any plan (Individual, Professional, or Enterprise)

• At least one uploaded asset with callouts or measurements (or an orthomosaic layer)

• View access or higher to the asset

What Is the Layers Panel?

The Layers Panel (also called the Layer List) is a floating window that displays all callouts and measurements attached to the current asset. It provides a structured, browsable list of every annotation, defect marker, measurement, and camera bookmark — along with controls for how they're organized and displayed.

The Layers Panel is your primary tool for:

• Navigating between callouts and measurements by clicking their entries

• Grouping annotations by type, category, or custom criteria

• Controlling how callout labels appear in the 3D viewport

• Managing orthomosaic layer visibility and opacity

Opening the Layers Panel

1. Open an asset in the Nira viewer

2. Click the Layer List button in the lower-right corner of the viewport

[SCREENSHOT: The Layer List button location in the lower-right corner, and the resulting Layers Panel opened in the upper-right area]

The panel opens in the upper-right area of the viewport. You can drag it to reposition if needed.

ℹ️ Note: The Layer List button only appears if the asset has at least one callout, measurement, or orthomosaic layer. If you don't see the button, the asset has no annotations yet.

Navigating with the Layers Panel

Clicking on any item in the Layers Panel activates it:

• Callouts (Annotations, Defects): Clicking a callout entry shifts the 3D camera to the callout's saved position and opens the callout's detail window

• Camera Bookmarks: Clicking a bookmark snaps the camera to the bookmarked position

• Measurements: Clicking a measurement entry highlights it in the viewport and shows its info window

This makes the Layers Panel an efficient way to review all annotations on an asset sequentially, without manually navigating to each one in 3D space.

💡 Tip: When conducting an inspection review, work through the Layers Panel top-to-bottom to ensure you've reviewed every callout. This is faster and more systematic than searching for individual callout markers in 3D space, especially on large or complex models.

Grouping Options

The Layers Panel dropdown (in the panel's upper-right corner) includes a Group by option that lets you organize callouts and measurements into categories:

💡 Tip: Use Group by Type when managing a mixed set of annotations and measurements. Use Group by Severity during inspection review to prioritize critical defects.

ℹ️ Note: Grouping options may vary depending on your plan and the types of callouts present on the asset. If no defects exist, severity grouping will show an empty list.

Listing Styles

The dropdown also includes a Listing style option that controls how callout entries appear in the panel:

[SCREENSHOT: Side-by-side comparison of both listing styles — Callout ID + Title on the left, Title only on the right]

ℹ️ Note: Callout IDs are permanent and unique per asset. If you delete callout A3, the ID A3 is retired — the next callout won't reuse it. This ensures callout IDs remain reliable references in PDF reports and communication.

Orthomosaic Layer Visibility

For assets that include orthomosaic data (GeoTIFF uploads), the Layers Panel provides additional controls:

Visibility Toggle

Toggle orthomosaic layers on and off to show or hide the 2D map overlay in the viewer.

Opacity Slider

Adjust the opacity of orthomosaic layers from fully transparent to fully opaque. This is useful for:

• Blending the orthomosaic with underlying 3D terrain or point cloud data

• Comparing the orthomosaic against the 3D model

• Adjusting visibility when the orthomosaic obscures features you need to inspect

💡 Tip: When working with a combined orthomosaic + 3D model asset, set the orthomosaic opacity to around 50-70% to see both layers simultaneously. This is particularly helpful for verifying that the orthomosaic aligns correctly with the 3D geometry.

DXF Design Overlays

If your asset includes DXF design overlay files (available on Professional+ plans), they appear in the Layers Panel alongside orthomosaic layers. You can toggle their visibility independently.

ℹ️ Note: DXF overlays only display over 2D orthomosaic maps, not in the 3D viewer. If you toggle a DXF layer on but don't see it, switch to the 2D orthomosaic viewer using the 2D button.

Using the Layers Panel for Inspection Workflows

The Layers Panel is central to Nira's inspection workflow:

Review All Defects

1. Open the Layers Panel

2. Set Group by: Type or Group by: Severity

3. Expand the Defect group

4. Click each defect to review it — the camera navigates to its location and opens the detail window

5. Review severity, description, and any embedded media

Cross-Reference with PDF Reports

Callouts marked as Defects with the Include in PDF Report option enabled will appear in generated PDF inspection reports. The callout ID in the Layers Panel matches the ID in the PDF, making cross-referencing straightforward.

💡 Tip: Before generating a PDF report, open the Layers Panel and verify that all defects you want included have "Include in PDF Report" enabled. It's easier to check this in the list view than by clicking each callout marker in 3D space.

Bulk Orientation

When you have many callouts, the Layers Panel helps you orient quickly. Instead of orbiting around the model searching for callout markers, use the panel as a table of contents — click the entry, review the callout, then click the next one.

What's Not Supported

• Callout filtering by keyword: There's no search or text filter within the Layers Panel. You browse by scrolling or grouping only.

• Drag-and-drop reordering of callouts: Callouts appear in creation order (or grouped order). You cannot manually reorder them within the panel.

• Orthomosaic grouping: If an asset has multiple orthomosaic layers, they appear as a flat list — there's no nested grouping for ortho layers.

• Callout visibility per View Variant: Callouts are visible across all View Variants. You cannot hide specific callouts in specific variants (though you can use object visibility in variants to hide the geometry a callout is attached to).

• Callout count badges: The Layers Panel does not display a count of total callouts without opening the panel.

Troubleshooting

"The Layer List button doesn't appear."

Cause: The asset has no callouts, measurements, or orthomosaic layers.

Fix: Add a callout or measurement using the tools in the left sidebar (requires Edit Mode or an Inspection Link). Once at least one annotation exists, the Layer List button will appear.

"I can't see some callouts that I know exist."

Cause: The callouts may have been created in a different asset version, or the Callout View Style setting is hiding them visually.

Fix:

1. Check that you're viewing the correct asset version (look at the URL)

2. Check the Callout View Style setting — if set to "Circle" style, callouts without titles may be harder to spot

3. Open the Layers Panel to confirm which callouts exist — clicking an entry will navigate to it even if the visual marker is hard to see

"Orthomosaic layer toggle has no visible effect."

Cause: You may be in the 3D viewer while the orthomosaic is configured to display in the 2D viewer, or the orthomosaic opacity is set very low.

Fix:

1. Check the opacity slider — ensure it's not at 0%

2. Try switching to the 2D orthomosaic viewer (click the 2D button) to see the layer in map view

3. Verify the orthomosaic GeoTIFF was processed successfully (check the asset status in the asset list)

"Callout IDs in the Layers Panel don't match my PDF report."

Cause: The PDF was generated at a different time, or callouts were added/deleted between generating the report and viewing the panel.

Fix: Regenerate the PDF report to get current callout data. Callout IDs are permanent, but the report only includes callouts present at generation time.

Technical Notes

• The Layers Panel state (open/closed, grouping, listing style) is session-based and does not persist across page reloads

• Callout and measurement data loaded in the Layers Panel is real-time — if another Editor adds a callout while you're viewing, you'll see it after refreshing the panel or the page

• For assets with hundreds of callouts, the Layers Panel may require scrolling. There is no pagination — all items load in the panel

• The Layers Panel is available in both View Mode and Edit Mode, but creating or modifying callouts requires Edit Mode or an Inspection Link

• Orthomosaic visibility and opacity changes in the Layers Panel are session-only unless saved via Edit Mode → Save