Explained: Proposals, proposal layers, bases and base layers

This guide explains the difference between proposals, proposal layers, bases and base layers, and how to work with these in a Forma project.

 

When you first enter your newly created project, you will see two sections in the left panel - Proposals and Layers. But what is the difference between them?

 

What are Proposals?

The Proposals section is a list of all your design options for the current project. You can click the + icon to create a new empty proposal or right-click on a proposal to duplicate, rename or delete it. Each proposal is associated with a base (indicated by a letter A, B and so on).

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What are Layers?

All elements that you add in the map get grouped in a Layer in the left hand menu. We can differentiate between Proposal layers (map elements affecting only the proposal) and Base layers (map elements that affect all proposals with that base)

 

Proposal layers 

Proposal Layers is a list of all the elements that exist within the currently selected proposal. The proposal layers appear at the top of the Layers menu. The buildings associated with a particular design option (proposal) will typically be added to the proposal layers. 

 

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Base layers 

Base layers is a list of all the elements that exist within a base. These are highlighted in purple in the Layers menu. You can think of them as the shared layers and typically includes elements such as surrounding buildings, roads, etc. To edit Base layer, click "Edit" and to create and swap bases click "Swap base".

 

 

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What is a Base?

You can think of a Base as the world you are designing in. It’s defined by all the information about your site or surroundings, for example, roads, vegetation, or buildings that set the scene for your proposal development. You can create many different bases per project, depending on how many different sets of project premises you want to test your designs in, and they can be reused across multiple proposals. If you edit any of the layers included in a base or add new ones, the changes will be reflected in all proposals this base is used in.

Summary:

Proposal: a particular design option.

Layers: all the elements in your map grouped into different types of layer categories.

Proposal layer: elements are only included in the current proposal.

Base: the world you are designing in.

Base layer: list of all the elements that exist within a base. These elements affect all the proposals that use your particular base.

 

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