01 lecture advanced layer tools

DFTG 2419 Intermediate CAD Student Guide

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ADVANCED LAYER TOOLS

AutoCAD 2007 incorporates a set of layer manipulation tools that were previously included in the Express Tools set. These tools are available in the Layers II toolbar (see Figure 1 below) and from the Format Layer tools pulldown menu (see Figure 2). These tools can save you time by streamlining frequently-performed layer operations. This section discusses several of the tools that you might want to become familiar with. Refer to AutoCAD's online help for information about the remaining tools. LAYERS II TOOLBAR

Figure 1. Layers II toolbar

To display the toolbar, you can right-click on any button in any visible toolbar and choose Layers II from the shortcut menu. In order, the buttons on the Layers II toolbar are: Layer Match Change to Current Layer Layer Isolate Layer Unisolate Copy Objects to New Layer Layer Walk Layer Freeze Layer Off Layer Lock Layer Unlock

The Layer tools pulldown menu appears in Figure 2. Layer tools pulldown menu Figure 2. Layer Match The Layer Match command (LAYMCH) lets you assign selected objects to a different layer. When you invoke the command, you are prompted to select the objects you want to re-assign: Select objects to be changed: Select objects: When you are finished selecting objects, press Enter without selecting anything to continue to the next prompt: Select object on destination layer


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At this prompt, you have three choices: 1. Select a drawing object that is on the

layer to which you want to assign the selected objects.

2. Enter N to open the Change to Layer dialog box (see Figure 3). Select the desired layer and click on OK.

3. Press Enter to display a prompt that lets you assign the selected objects to the current layer.

Figure 3. Change to Layer dialog box

Change to Current Layer The Change to Current Layer command (LAYCUR) lets you assign selected objects to the current layer. When you invoke the command, you are prompted to select the objects you want to re-assign. Press Enter without selecting anything when you are finished selecting objects. AutoCAD displays a message (see below) to tell you how many objects were re-assigned to what layer. One object changed to layer Section (the current layer). Layer Isolate The Layer Isolate command (LAYISO) isolates the layer(s) of selected objects by turning off all other layers. Only drawing objects on the same layer as the selected objects remain visible.

The Settings option The Settings option determines whether layers are isolated only in the current paper space viewport or throughout the drawing. The option you choose remains in effect. You can specify the Settings option at any time while you are selecting objects. Enter S or right-click and select Settings from the shortcut menu to display the following prompt: In paper space viewport use [Vpfreeze/Off] : Vpfreeze The Vpfreeze setting applied in a paper space viewport isolates layers only in the current viewport. Drawing objects on the isolated layer(s) are displayed. All other layers are turned off in the current viewport. Other viewports in the drawing are unchanged.

Note The layer of the first selected object becomes the current layer.


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Off The Off setting isolates layers in all viewports, model space, and paper space. Drawing objects on the isolated layer(s) are displayed. All other layers are turned off throughout the drawing. Layer Unisolate The Layer Unisolate command (LAYUNISO) reverses the effect of the most recent Layer Isolate command. Layers that were turned off by the last Layer Isolate command are turned on. If you have changed any layer settings after you isolated layers, those changes are

retained. Layer Unisolate has no effect if you have not isolated any layers in this drawing session. The layer that was current when you issued the Layer Isolate command is re-set as the

current layer following the Layer Unisolate command. AutoCAD issues a message (see below) to tell you that the operation was successful. Layers isolated by LAYISO command have been restored. Copy Objects to New Layer The Copy Objects to New Layer command (COPYTOLAYER) copies one or more objects to another existing layer. The command is described below prompt by prompt. Select objects to copy: Select the objects you wish to copy. You may select objects on different layers. Press Enter without selecting anything to proceed to the next part of the command. Select object on destination layer or [Name] : Specify one of the following: Select an object that is on the layer to

which you want to assign the selected objects; or

Enter N or right-click and choose Name from the shortcut menu to select the desired layer name from the Copy to Layer dialog box (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. Copy To Layer dialog box


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3 object(s) copied and placed on layer "Notes". A message appears in your Command window to tell you that the objects have been copied onto the new layer: Specify base point or [Displacement/eXit] : At this point, you can simply press Enter (or enter X for eXit) to terminate the command and leave the new objects where they are (that is, directly on top of the original objects). Or you can move them to another location in the drawing in one of two ways: you can specify a displacement, or you can pick two points. Enter D to specify a displacement. AutoCAD displays the following prompt: Specify displacement : AutoCAD expects you to enter an X-Y-Z displacement. For example, to move the new objects up 5 units and right 2 units, enter 5,2,0. Alternatively, you can specify two points. After you specify the first point, AutoCAD prompts for a second point: Specify second point of displacement or : Specify a second point. AutoCAD calculates the distance and angle between the two points and moves the objects accordingly. Note that you do not have to specify points that lie on any of the objects. Layer Walk The Layer Walk command (LAYWALK) displays the LayerWalk dialog box, which dynamically displays objects on layers that you select from a list of layers. The number of layers in the drawing appears in the dialog box title. You can change the current layer state when you exit, save layer states, and purge unreferenced layers. The number of layers in the drawing appears

in the title bar (see Figure 5). Layers that are off or frozen are not selected

in the list. Selecting a layer in the list isolates that layer

(i.e., turns off all other layers). Press and hold the Ctrl key to select multiple layers.

Figure 5. LayerWalk dialog box


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If you select a layer on which nothing is drawn, the Purge button is activated (see Figure 6). Click on the Purge button to delete that layer

from the drawing. A layer on which objects have been drawn

cannot be purged. The layer remains purged from the drawing

even if the Restore on exit box is checked when you close the dialog.


If you open the LayerWalk dialog box while a paper space viewport is active, you can select layers to turn on and thaw in that viewport. As shown in Figure 7, any layer that is not selected in the Layer list is frozen in the current viewport. You can change the display of one viewport without altering the display of another viewport. Press and hold the Ctrl key while selecting

layers to select multiple layers.

Uncheck the box labeled Restore on exit to retain changes when you close the dialog box.


Layer Freeze The Layer Freeze (LAYFRZ) command prompts you to select an object, and freezes the layer of the object you select. You can continue to select objects until you Enter without selecting anything.

Q: What is the difference between a layer that is OFF and one that is FROZEN? A: You cannot see objects on either an OFF or FROZEN layer. AutoCAD, however, recognizes layers that are OFF, but not layers that are FROZEN. Therefore, you can select objects on an OFF layer, but not objects on a FROZEN layer.


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Current settings: Viewports=Vpfreeze, Block nesting level=Block Select an object on the layer to be frozen or [Settings/Undo]: You can choose whether to freeze layers of objects nested in a block. In a Paper space layout, you can choose to freeze a layer in all viewports or freeze a layer

only in the current viewport. You can Undo to cancel the previous layer selection. Layer Off The Layer Off (LAYOFF) command prompts you to select an object, and turns off the layer of the object you select. You can continue to select objects until you Enter without selecting anything. This command has the same options as the Layer Freeze command (see above). Current settings: Viewports=Vpfreeze, Block nesting level=Block Select an object on the layer to be turned off or [Settings/Undo]: Layer Lock The Layer Lock (LAYLCK) command locks the layer of a selected object. When you rest your cursor over an object on a locked layer, the padlock icon appears next to the object. Select an object on the layer to be locked: Layer "Foundation" has been locked Layer Unlock (LAYULK) The Layer Unlock (LAYULK) command unlocks the layer of a selected object. Select an object on the layer to be unlocked: Layer "Foundation" has been unlocked. LAYER STATES Even simple drawings can contain a large number of layers. Complex drawings may contain hundreds of layers. AutoCAD lets you define, save, and restore named layer states to help you minimize the amount of time you spend changing layer states. For example, if you are drawing a two-story house, you might define a set of layers for the first floor and other layers for the second floor. By creating a layer state for each floor, you can quickly turn the first floor layers off while you are working on the second floor, and vice versa. Or if you are drawing a floor plan and foundation plan, you could create a layer state for each set of those layers. To create a new layer state, open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box and make the layer settings (e.g., freeze/thaw/on/off, etc.) you prefer for the new state.


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Then click on the Layer States Manager button (see Figure 8) or press Alt+S. The Layer States Manager dialog box appears. If the rightmost panel does not appear, click on the More Options button to the right of the Help button (see Figure 9).

Figure 8. Layer States Manager button

Figure 9. Layer States Manager dialog box

Click on the New button to create a new layer state. The New Layer State to Save dialog box appears (see Figure 10). Enter a name and optionally, a description for this layer state. Click on OK to return to the Layer States Manager dialog box.

Figure 10. New Layer State to Save dialog box

Click here to expand or

collapse the right panel.

Click here to create a new layer state.


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Figure 11. Including layer properties in a new layer state

As shown in Figure 11, select layer properties to be saved with the new layer state. When you restore a layer state, the layer properties that were saved with the layer state are also restored. Click on Close to return to the Layer Properties Manager dialog box. To restore an existing layer state, open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, then open the Layer States Manager dialog box. Select the layer state you want to restore, and click on Restore. When you return to the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, click on OK to return to your drawing. RECONCILING LAYERS AutoCAD 2008 introduced the concept of reconciling layers. An unreconciled layer is a layer that has been added to the drawing but that you have not manually marked as reconciled. Reconciling layers forces you to review the layer list so that you can avoid potential errors before you plot your drawing or when you restore a layer state. A baseline layer list is created the first time a drawing is saved or plotted. All layers on

the baseline layer list are considered reconciled (not new). If you create a new layer after the baseline layer list is created, it is unreconciled until you

manually mark it as reconciled. During an operation such as plotting, publishing, or attaching an external reference, the

current layer list is checked against the baseline layer list. If the two lists do not match, a warning box appears (see Figure 8).

Choose layer properties to include in the

new layer state.


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Figure 8. Unreconciled layers notification warning

Click on Yes in the Layer Notification Warning dialog box to display the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, where you can view the list of unreconciled layers (see Figure 9).

Figure 9. Unreconciled layers in the Layer Properties Manager dialog box

To reconcile layers, select the layer or layers you want to reconcile in the layer list. Press Shift or Ctrl to select multiple layers. Then right-click on the selected layer(s), and choose Reconcile Layer from the shortcut menu (see Figure 10).

When you have reconciled a layer, it is removed from the Unreconciled New Layers filter.

If you reconcile all unreconciled layers, the Unreconciled New Layers filter is removed.

Figure 10. Reconciling selected layers

Attaching an external reference (see Working with External References in Unit 2) can introduce unreconciled layers.

01 lecture advanced layer tools

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