Is guided layers bad for optimization?

Question

Hi all.When I create air apps, I often start by creating a symbol (movieclip/graphic) and then draws vector graphics directly inside flash (CS6). Then I guide out the layer, copy the vector, add it to a new layer and convert it to a bitmap (so I can use GPU). That way I can easily find the vectors and change graphics later on. But does any of you know if this is concidered a bad thing? I haven't noticed any difference in performance when comparing the same app exported from fla files with or without guided layers (there can be loads of them). But there might be something I overlook (for instance if you have a movieclip with a guided layer that stretch over multiple frames and a not guided layer that has just one frame, then the movieclip will run all the frames in the guided layer even if doesn't draw it). So, what's your thought on these guided layers?

Nabren · Answer

While I am not entirely positive I am pretty sure that guide layers do not have a cost at runtime. Obviously they make your file bigger and can increase publish time but is that even noticeable? Probably not. I am pretty sure I tested this before where the output .swf was the same size with a guide layer and with it deleted. But you can easily do the same test.

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