Do new shapes always have to appear on top of a selected layer?

Hi, im new to xara designer and I love the speed and a couple of other things about it. The problem I have is when creating new shape it always appears on the top of a selected layer, not on the top of a selected shape. This forces me to either create separate layer for each shape I want to base clip view on or drag new shape back where I want them (which is always on top of selected shape) every time I create one. This slows down my process so much and I can't find any setting to make new or duplicated shapes appear on top of a previously selected one. Another problem I have is not being able to create a group inside a group. Could you please tell me whether it's possible to:
1. make new/duplicated shape appear on top of last selected shape
2. make a group inside a group?

Welcome to TG Twinsen.

I'm not 100% sure I understand your question but if you want a shape appear on top of a selected shape, select it and hit Ctrl + K which makes a clone of that shape above the original. No need to keep adding layers. You can also use Shift + Ctrl + F or Shift + Ctrl + B to send it one step further in front or further back.

Yes it's quite simple to make a group within a group.

Thanks for reply, it must be problem with my software then (Xara Photo & Graphic Designer trial) since when I press Ctrl + K clone appears 40 shapes above original one on top of a layer and I can't group shapes inside a group. Is it possible that Xara Photo & Graphic Designer trial doesn't have these features?

Think it through. When you clone something, Xara places it on top of everything else on a Layer so you can see it.
To demote it use the Page & Layer gallery, select it and drag to the level you want it to be.

You cannot directly group objects into a group while they are already in a group.
Select all the objects to group and drag outside the current group, then group and drag the new group back inside.

Acorn

Hi Twinsen,

I suspect you are trying to use a workflow from another program that is not necessary in Designer. Why do you want to create a new shape directly above an existing shape? Shapes don't have to be consecutive for one to clip the other, for instance.

Phil

Thank you all for replying, I'm sorry for causing a little confusion, I could've worded my issue better than that.

For me, selecting the shape means I want to either add or clip a shape directly on top of the original one. Never do I select one shape to add new one dozens of shapes above. This would mean im working on totally different thing in an image. If I wanted shape to appear on top of a layer I would just select that layer or some object on top of it.

Having to drag each little shape I create back in a place I want it through dozens of shapes takes lot of time and effort since I have to do this every time all the time many many times.

You have to forgive me but I just can't see how clipping shapes that far apart would be helpful especially that it seems to just group and change their position in a layer to that of a topmost clipped object. When you remove clipview shapes don't go back into their original positions in a layer but they are pulled together at the place of the topmost object, and I have to drag them all the way back where my base shape was.

If the purpose of each new or duplicated shape appearing on top of a layer is for me to be able to see it, I don't see how is that worth sacrificing faster and simpler workflow since it's never a problem for me that I can't see the object I create. If I couldn't I would simply hide shapes covering it first so I see it better. Putting it on top of everything is bad anyway since I can't see it around the shapes it will end up eventually.

Lets say I have an image with lots of clouds where each base cloud shape has a couple of clipped shadow shapes to it.

If i just let xara create each shadow shape on top of a layer, it creates a mess since when I decide to clip them it would bring base cloud shape to the position of topmost object I want to clip. Then I have to drag the cloud back into its position. But wait I want to add another shadow, oh I have to do all these steps again.

Not being able to select one shape in a clip group and add another one on top of it is a huge problem for me. I can't even drag any shape into clipped group. Instead of just one action of selecting one shape to add another one on top of it, I have to ungroup, drag shape through dozens of shapes in a layer into just the right place and group again.

I have to do 3 actions including one really frustrating (draging through dozens of shapes) instead of just one. I just can't see any benefit to the way xara designer layer gallery behaves now and even if I did, it would be totally against my workflow.

I agree, this stacking order problem can be a pain

If say I have lineart, which must always be at the top, and then colouring shapes which must always be in a certain stacking order for say, arms, legs, torso etc, then what I do to force it is put each element on it's own layer [and if they need to be 'grouped' so they can be moved together, then use soft group which works across layers]

OF course, that can then have other work-flow issues because xara does not have nested layers; they have been requested, but the xara line appears to be that they are not necessary; however they said that about an eraser and an increased pasteboard size an both have come to pass.. so maybe one day