Hide Part Numbers in E3.series: Use Levels for Supplier Safe PDFs

Sharing drawings with suppliers or managers often means showing less, not more. You want to hide part numbers, reduce visual noise, and keep reviewers focused on the intent of the design. In E3.series, the fastest way to control what appears on the page is Levels. This post explains the pain, shows how Levels solve it, and provides a repeatable workflow you can standardize across your team.

Who this helps

Engineers preparing supplier or management review packs. Teams creating prototype vs production outputs. Stakeholders using E3.view+ who need clear, role based views.

The core problem

Manual redaction wastes time and introduces risk. Editing symbols or deleting text for every export leads to mismatches between what reviewers see and what engineering intends. A repeatable visibility method is the pain killer.

What are Levels in E3.series

Every text object, including symbol text such as part numbers, sits on a numeric Level. With the Levels panel you toggle visibility by object type and by Level, then save that configuration. The drawing stays intact. You only control what is shown.

When to use Levels

• Hide sensitive details such as part numbers during early RFQs
• Produce simplified supplier PDFs that show connections, not inventory
• Create consistent prototype vs production exports by saving presets

Step by step: from cluttered to clean

1. Inspect text Levels. Click a text or symbol text to see which Level it is on, for example notes on 12 and part numbers on 5.
2. Open the Levels panel. View → Levels or press L. Filter by object type such as Symbol Text.
3. Toggle visibility. Turn off the Level that carries part numbers. Geometry and logical data remain. The view updates instantly.
4. Save a preset. Use Read or Write configuration to save named presets like Prototype No PNs or Production Full Detail.
5. Reuse everywhere. Apply your saved configuration for PDFs, printouts, and E3.view+. Non design users get the same consistent view.

Why this approach works

• Repeatable. Presets remove guesswork across the team
• Low risk. You never edit or delete design data to make a view
• Fast. One click switches between stakeholder specific outputs

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Mixed content on one Level. Standardize which Levels hold which text types before you rely on presets.
• Hiding the wrong object type. Make sure you are toggling Symbol Text for part numbers, not general graphic text.
• Forgetting to share presets. Store configurations in a shared location so exports match across the team.

Quick FAQ

Will Levels affect the BOM or reports
No. Levels control visibility, not data. Reports and BOMs come from device and database properties.

Can E3.view+ users apply the same presets
Yes. E3.view+ provides similar visibility control so non design stakeholders can use the same configurations.

Can I export different PDFs from the same project without duplicating files
Yes. Apply the preset you want, export, then switch preset and export again.

Watch the chapter video

This chapter walks through checking text Levels, hiding part numbers by toggling Symbol Text on a specific Level, and saving reusable view presets.

Related chapters

• Chapter 6 Fields. Group data on a single sheet with Field regions

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