Setting the Current Layer
All objects have a layer assignment, and by default, an object is assigned to the current layer. You can quickly identify the current layer by looking at the layer list in the Layers control panel shown earlier in Figure 7.8.
This list also lets you quickly control some of the layer features, including the current layer. Here's how to change the current layer:
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Click the arrow button to the right of the layer name on the Layers control panel to display a drop-down list that shows you all the layers available in the drawing, as shown in Figure 7.8.
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Click a layer name. The drop-down list closes, and the selected name appears in the toolbar's layer name box. It is now the current layer.
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Layer 0 has special importance to blocks. (See Chapter 8 for more about blocks.) When objects assigned to Layer 0 are used as parts of a block and that block is inserted on another layer, those objects take on the characteristics of their new layer. On the other hand, if those objects are on a layer other than Layer 0, they maintain their original layer characteristics even if you change that block to another layer. For example, suppose the tub is drawn on the Door layer, instead of on Layer 0. If you turn the tub into a block and insert it on the Fixture layer, the objects that the tub is composed of maintain their assignments to the Door layer, although the Tub block is assigned to the Fixture layer.
It might help to think of the block function as a clear plastic bag that holds together the objects that make up the tub. The objects inside the bag maintain their assignments to the Door layer, even though the bag itself is assigned to the Fixture layer. This might be a bit confusing at first, but it should become clearer after using blocks for a while.
AutoCAD also allows you to have more than one color or linetype on a layer. For example, you can use the Color and Linetype buttons in the Properties palette (click the Properties button on the Standard toolbar) to alter the color or linetype of an object on Layer 0. That object then maintains its assigned color and linetype-no matter what its layer assignment. Likewise, objects specifically assigned a color or linetype are not affected by their inclusion in blocks.
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You might have noticed several icons that appear next to the layer names; these control the status of the layer. You'll learn how to work with these icons later in this chapter. Also notice the box directly to the left of each layer name. This shows you the color of the layer.
