Creating and Assigning Layers


You use the Layer Properties Manager dialog box to create and edit layers. When you're just starting a drawing, especially a complex one, you'll probably spend a lot of time in this dialog box setting up and managing layers. Though it isn't absolutely necessary, setting a color for a new layer is a good step to take right off the bat. Colors are a great way to see at a glance the layer to which an object is assigned.

The following steps introduce you to the Layer Properties Manager dialog box and show you how to create a new layer:

  1. In the Layers control panel, click the Layer Properties Manager tool shown in Figure 7.1, choose Format è Layer, or enter la to open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.

    image from book

    The Layer Properties Manager dialog box shows you at a glance the status of your layers. Right now, you have only one layer, but as your work expands, so will the number of layers. You will then find this dialog box indispensable.

  2. image from book Click the New Layer button at the top of the dialog box (see Figure 7.2). Its icon looks like a sun. A new layer named Layer1 appears in the list box. The name is highlighted so you can immediately start typing a name for it.

  3. As you type, your entry replaces the Layer1 name in the list box. Don't worry if you aren't certain about the name; you can always change it later.

    As a project grows, so does its list of layers. It helps to have a system for naming layers so that you'll be able to find them and sort them easily. For example, you might use a prefix for your layer names such as FP for floor plan and EP for electrical plan. You can also use industry guidelines, such as the American Institute of Architects' layer-naming standards (www.aia.org).

  4. With your new layer name highlighted, click the Color icon in that layer's listing, as shown in Figure 7.3. The color icon is in the Color column and currently shows White as its value.

    The Select Color dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 7.4.

  5. In the row of standard colors, click the color you want, and then click OK. Notice that the color swatch in the selected layer is now the color you clicked in the Select Color dialog box.

  6. When the Layer Properties Manager dialog box returns, click OK to close it.

image from book
Figure 7.1: The Layer Properties Manager tool

image from book
Figure 7.2: Click the New Layer button toward the top of the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.

image from book
Figure 7.3: The Color icon in the layer listing of the Layer Properties Manager dialog box

image from book
Figure 7.4: The Select Color dialog box

From this point on, any object assigned to your new layer appears in the color you selected in step 5, unless the object is specifically assigned a different color property.

The Files tab of the Options dialog box (choose Tools è Options) contains the Color Book Locations option, which tells AutoCAD where to look for the Pantone color books. Pantone color books are sets of colors used by the Pantone color system.

Understanding the Layer Properties Manager Dialog Box

The Layer Properties Manager dialog box shown in Figure 7.5 conforms to the Windows interface standard. The most prominent feature of this dialog box is the layer list box. Notice that the bar at the top of the list of layers includes several buttons for the various layer properties. Just as you can adjust Windows Explorer, you can adjust the width of each column in the list of layers by clicking and dragging either side of the column head buttons. You can also sort the layer list based on a property simply by clicking the property name at the top of the list. You can Shift+click names to select a block of layer names, or you can Ctrl+click individual names to select multiples that do not appear together. These features become helpful as your list of layers enlarges.

image from book
Figure 7.5: The Layer Properties Manager dialog box

Above the layer list, you'll see a box displaying the current layer. Just to the left of the current layer name are four tool buttons, as shown in Figure 7.6.

image from book
Figure 7.6: The four tool buttons of the Layer Properties Manager dialog box that let you create a new layer, create a new layer and freeze it in all viewports, delete a layer, or make a selected layer the current one

You've already seen how the New Layer tool works. Another tool that looks similar to the New Layer tool creates a new layer and freezes it in all viewports (see "Controlling Layer Visibility" later in this chapter for more about this tool). The tool with the X icon is the Delete Layer tool. Select a layer or a group of layers, and click this button to delete layers. Be aware that you cannot delete Layer 0, locked layers, or layers that contain objects. The tool with the check mark is the Set Current tool. It allows you to set the current layer on which you want to work. The green check mark under the Status column of the layer list indicates the current layer.

Another way to create or delete layers is to select a layer or a set of layers from the list box and then right-click to display a menu that includes the same functions as the tools above the layer list.

You'll also notice another set of three tools farther to the left of the Layer Properties Manager dialog box. These tools offer features to organize your layers in a meaningful way. You'll get a closer look at these tools a little later in this chapter.

Assigning Layers to Objects

When you create an object, that object is automatically assigned to the current layer. In a new drawing, only one layer is called 0 (zero); therefore, when you start to draw in a new drawing, objects are automatically assigned to the 0 layer. When you start to create new layers, you can reassign objects to them using the Properties palette:

  1. Select the objects whose layer assignment you want to change.

  2. With the cursor in the drawing area, right-click, and choose Properties from the shortcut menu to open the Properties palette, as shown in Figure 7.7.

  3. Click the Layer option. Notice that a downward-pointing arrow appears in the layer name box to the right of the Layer option.

  4. Click the downward-pointing arrow to display a list of all the available layers.

  5. Select the desired layer name from the list. Press Esc to deselect the objects currently selected.

  6. Close the Properties palette by clicking the X button in the upper-left corner.

image from book
Figure 7.7: The Properties palette

If the color property of the selected objects is set to ByLayer, the objects take on the color of their new layer. The same is true for their linetype and line weight. On the other hand, if objects have their color property set to a specific color, linetype, or line weight, their layer assignment will not affect their appearance.

Another way to assign layers to existing objects is to use the layer list in the Layers control panel (see Figure 7.8).

image from book
Figure 7.8: Selecting a layer from the Layers control panel

Ordinarily, this list displays the current layer, and you can set the current layer by selecting it from this list. But when you click an object with no other command active, the list changes to show you the name of the layer to which the selected object is assigned. Once an object is selected, you can easily change its layer assignment by selecting a new name from the layer list.

If you have multiple objects selected, and they all have different layer assignments, the list appears blank until you select a new layer from the list. This will give all the selected objects the same layer assignment.




Introducing AutoCAD 2008
Introducing AutoCAD 2008
ISBN: 0470121505
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 147
Authors: George Omura

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net