I like and understand layer names in settings or global for current and future projects.
However, is there a way to have local layers only?
For example, I cut between 1-5mm thick material. I like the idea of setting layer 05 to the settings I need for 1.5 mm material, which I use most often. But when I use 5 mm material, I need to change 05 to a slower and more powerful setting for that specific material for that specific project. I don’t want 05 settings to carry over to all future projects.
Is there a way to make some layers settings local vs global?
Not sure if I’m understanding the question, but if you set up a layer how you want it for most projects, you just click " Make Default " in the Cut Settings editor.
Then if you make changes, like you described, then to go back just click " Reset to Default ".
Otherwise, it will always have the last changes you made to it.
They’re all “local”, because you can change any layer’s settings when you’re working on the design and those settings will apply to that design. AFAICT, there’s no way to lock the settings of individual layers.
When you start a new design, it will use the layer settings from the previous design, unless you select the Load default layer settings on new or restart option in Edit → Settings → File, in which case all the layers will have their default values.
With that turned on, the Make Default button along the bottom of the full Cut Settings Editor window becomes significant, as it makes the current layer settings the default for that layer whenever you start a new project.
For my simple needs and limited ability to distinguish colors, I assign named entries in the Material Library to the same cheerful colors in every design: reds for cutting, blues for marking, and grays for engraving. That gets me out of having to remember which reddish color cuts this particular plywood.
A combination of those might be close to what you want. Set up the defaults for some colors / layers to match the marking & engraving for different materials, but load cut settings from the Material Library to make C05 appropriate for a specific thickness.