Concepts

How do you move a drawing in front of or behind another one?

Each new object (circle, line, etc.) you add to a drawing is added at a new layer. The layers create a stacking order. You can change the stacking order by moving an object (or group of objects) to the front-most layer or back-most layer. To change the stacking order:

1. Select the object you want to move forwards or backwards in the stacking order.
2. Select Bring to Front (or Send to Back) from the right-click menu or under the Draw menu to make the object the top layer (or bottom layer).
3. Select Bring Forward (or Send Backward) to make the object one layer closer to the front (or back).

The following avi movie shows an example of sending an object to the back of the stacking order. It will first bring a rectangle to the front, then send it back one layer.

Why do some of my little objects disappear when I am "bringing to front" and "sending to back"?

Some objects are so large they totally obscure other objects. If you bring a large object forward or move a small object backwards, some objects may disappear. Objects that are obscured from view are still a part of your drawing. To bring them back into view, select the concealing object and send it to the back of the stacking order.

Copyright 1996 by the Curators of the University of Missouri