Layering in AutoCAD

Name: Layering in AutoCAD
Author: Patrick Porter

Continue your engineering layout creation journey with this intermediate course

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Course: On-Demand

Welcome, in this chapter, we are going to take a look at layers in AutoCAD. And in this particular lesson, I'm going to be introducing you to what exactly layers are. So before we get started, I'd like for you to make sure you have opened up the layers drawing from the exercise files, and once you have that drawing open, go ahead and follow along with me. Now, in AutoCAD, layers are used primarily to organize similar objects for the purpose of controlling those objects visibilities, and properties. And an AutoCAD drawing typically is made up of many objects that are grouped by layers, and thus a drawing can have many, many layers. Now the layering is typically done based on the type of object they represent in real life. For example, in this drawing that we have on the screen, I might put all of the doors on a door layer, all of the windows on a window layer, all of the walls on a layer for walls. The objective when drawing in AutoCAD is to place your objects on an appropriate layer so that you can control those visibilities and properties. Those properties that you can control with your layers are things such as the color, the line type, the line weights, transparency, and a couple others we'll take a look at in this chapter. So let's go ahead and take a look at layers here on the drawing. Make sure that you are in the Home tab for the ribbon. Once you're there, I want you to come over to the Layers panel, and let's do a little run through of this. At the top, this is the display of the current layer in your drawing. When starting a drawing in AutoCAD, you will always have at the very least layer zero. I'm gonna click here in this layer dropdown. Layer zero is created by default. Everything that you draw or create in AutoCAD is placed on a layer. As you create new layers, you can move those objects to those layers. But layer zero is always going to be in your drawing. Another layer that will show up is the Defpoints layer. Now, this layer will show up once you create dimensions in your drawings. And what the Defpoints layer is, let me scroll over here. Take this dimension and move it out a little bit. Hit the Escape key. And as I select it, you see this little grip here? This grip point is actually a point in AutoCAD, and that's on the Defpoints layer. So the Defpoints layer is gonna show up once you create dimensions, and layer zero is always gonna be in your drawing by default. Gonna zoom back out. Take a look at the layer again. Now, how you name your layers in AutoCAD will be dependent upon the project that you're working on, your company standards, or what makes sense for your purposes. This drawing is adhering to the national CAD standards, the layering format, where the first letter is a discipline indicator, and then the words after that follow suit to give a little bit more of a definition of what's on those layers. So for example, the A-DMS, A for architectural, DMS is for dimensions. Over here, I have some properties that I can enable from this dropdown. I can turn a layer off. I can freeze a layer. I can lock a layer. I can change the layer's color. Remember, this selector up here is to set the current layer that you're gonna draw on. So right now with A-DMS being selected, I'm gonna hit escape. If I was to draw something, I'm gonna draw a line, right now my current layer is set for zero. A-DMS was showing because I had the dimension selected. If I went to change my current layer that I'm gonna draw on I can change to A-DMS, and now as I draw my line it's going to assume the properties for that layer. Gonna hit the escape key here. As you select an object, the layers will change. If all of the objects you have selected are the same layer, it will display up here. If you select multiples objects where the layers are not the same, you see how the layer name is not displayed, that's because you have multiple layers selected. I'm gonna hit the escape key here. Thanks for taking a look at layers in this lesson. Join me in the next lesson where we will take a further look at layers and getting to using the layers property manager.

Intermediate Provider : Patrick Porter 5 Lessons · 26m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Urdu, Chinese

Course Description

The importance of layers and layer management These lessons cover the important role of layering and proper layer management in AutoCAD. We’ll discuss all the standard settings of the layer manager, and you’ll learn about the bylayer setting applied to most object properties and how best to use this setting. Next, you’ll look at how to properly isolate and hide objects, not through layers, but through the isolate and hide objects commands in AutoCAD.

What You'll Learn

Understand the role of layering and proper layer management in AutoCAD
Use the standard settings of the Layer Properties Manager
Apply the bylayer setting to object properties and learn how best to use it
Isolate and hide objects using the isolate and hide objects commands

Key Takeaways

Layering and proper layer management play an important role in AutoCAD.
The course covers all the standard settings of the layer manager.
The bylayer setting is applied to most object properties, and the course shows how best to use it.
Objects can be isolated and hidden not through layers but through the isolate and hide objects commands in AutoCAD.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It covers the role of layering and proper layer management in AutoCAD, the standard settings of the layer manager, the bylayer setting applied to most object properties, and how to isolate and hide objects through the isolate and hide objects commands.

What will I learn about the bylayer setting?

You will learn about the bylayer setting applied to most object properties and how best to use this setting.

How are objects isolated and hidden in this course?

Objects are isolated and hidden not through layers, but through the isolate and hide objects commands in AutoCAD.

What lessons are included?

The lessons are Introducing Layers, Layer Properties Manager, Understanding the Bylayer Setting, Layer Settings, and Isolating and Hiding.