Managing Layers

Use the Layer command to create new Layers, set the active Layer, and specify Layer properties and behavior.

The command opens the Layers Manager palette.

For basic information on Layers, see Organizing the Drawing with Layers.

To access the Layers Manager palette:

Do one of the following:
- Click Format > Layer on the menu.
- Click Home > Layer > Layers Manager on the ribbon.
- Type Layer at the command prompt.

Creating Layers

You can create a new Layer any time. For efficiency, it is recommended that you plan Layers in advance.

You can also create Layers which will be initially freezed in all existing Viewports on layout Sheets. This option is available from the Model and on layout Sheets.

To create a new Layer:

On the Layers Manager palette, click New.
Type a Layer Name and press Enter.

Note: If you want to create a new Layer with properties similar to that of an existing Layer, select that Layer in the Layers Manager, then click New. You have to change only those properties that you want be different.

To create a Layer initially freezed in all existing Viewports on layout Sheets:

On the Layers Manager palette, click New - VP Freeze.
Type a Layer Name and press Enter.

Note: It is advisable to create a new Layer frozen in all existing Viewports if you want to thaw it selectively in only some Viewports, or if you want to use the Layer only in the Model.

Deleting Layers

You can delete unused Layers.

To delete Layers:

On the Layers Manager palette, select a Layer.
Click Delete.
The Layer is marked for deletion when the Status changes to .
Repeat step 2 to delete other Layers.
Click OK.
The Layers marked for deletion are erased.

Note: You cannot delete Layers containing entities, the active Layer, Layer 0, or dependent Layers of referenced drawings.

Merging Layers

You can merge Layers to a destination Layer.

To merge Layers:

On the Layers Manager palette, select one or more Layers to merge.
Note: You cannot merge Layer 0, the active Layer, locked Layers, and Layers of referenced drawings.
Click Merge.
In the dialog box, specify the destination Layer.
Optionally, you can:
- In Filter Expression, type substrings and use wildcards to reduce the number of displayed Layer names.
- In New Layer, specify the name of a Layer to create.
- Click Specify in graphics area to specify an entity on the destination Layer.
- Select Delete merged layers to remove the redundant merged Layers from the drawing.
Note: You cannot merge with Layers of referenced drawings, but you can merge with hidden or frozen Layers.

Setting the Active Layer

One of the Layers must be the active one.

To set the active Layer:

On the Layers Manager palette, select a Layer.
Click Activate.
- or -

Double-click the Status cell of the Layer you want active.

The Status changes to .

Applying Layer States

You can save, restore and manage Layer States. Layer States are snapshots of current Layer settings.

To apply Layer States:

On the Layers Manager palette, click Layer States.
In the Layer States dialog box, save, restore and manage Layer States.

Note: Independently from the Layers Manager, you can use the LayerState command to save and restore Layers.

Previewing Layer Selections

You can quickly preview the content of layers one by one or by a set of specified layers. This features lets you examine which entities are on which layers.

To preview Layer selections:

On the Layers Manager palette, click Layer Preview.
The Layers that are turned off are shown in the graphics area and in gray rows in the Layers list.

If you click on a layer name in the list, all other layers will be disabled unless you have specified in advance that certain layers will be displayed in the Layer preview.

Right-click and select Keep selection to keep layers that are marked this way, will continue to be displayed in the preview.

Right-click and select Isolate selected layers to turn all selected layers on and all others off. This will not exit preview mode.

To cancel Layer preview:

On the Layers Manager palette, click Layer Preview again.

Note: Independently from the Layers Manager, you can use the LayerPreview command to preview specified Layers.

Searching for Layers

In drawings with many Layers you can search for a specific Layer if you know a portion of the name. This feature lets you also reduce the set of layers shown in the Layers list (type * to display all Layers).

To search for Layers:

In the Filter expression box, type wildcards (? for a single character, or * for a string of characters) to list the matching Layer names.
For example, type "e*" to display all Layers starting with "e", or "*detail" to display all Layers ending with "detail" in the name.

You can use the following wildcards:

Wildcard	Meaning	Examples
* (asterisk)	Matches any string and can be used anywhere in the search string	2D* lists all Layer`names starting with 2D
? (question mark)	Matches any single character	?BC matches ABC, BBC, CBC, etc.
~ (tilde)	Matches anything but the pattern	~XY matches all Layer names that do not contain XY
# (pound)	Matches any numeric digit	#D matches 2D, 3D, 4D, etc.
@ (at)	Matches any alphabetic character
. (period)	Matches any non-alphanumeric character
` (reverse quote)	Reads the next character literally	`~XY matches ~XY
[]	Matches any one of the characters enclosed	[AB]C matches AC and BC
[~]	Matches any character not enclosed	[~AB]C matches XC but not AC

Renaming Layers

You can change the names of existing Layers.

To rename Layers:

On the Layers Manager palette, double-click the Name cell of the Layer to rename.
Type the new name and press Enter.

Accessing Layers Options

On the Layers Manager palette, click the Options button.
In the Options dialog box, the User Preferences page opens and Layers expands.

Setting Layer Properties

You can set the following properties for Layers: LineColor, LineStyle, LineWeight, transparency, PrintStyle, and a description.

LineColor

When you start a new drawing, new Layers are automatically assigned the color white. When you create a new Layer, the Layer adopts the color of the selected Layer.

Entities you draw on the Layer appear in the assigned Layer color except those to which you assign a LineColor directly (see: Setting LineColors).

To set Layer LineColors:

On the Layers Manager palette, double-click the LineColor cell you want to change.
Select a LineColor or select Specify Color for more colors.
The LineColor for the Layer is set. When you change the color, all entities on the Layer that were sketched with the color designated as ByLayer appear with the changed color. Entities on the Layer that were sketched with a color other than the ByLayer color are not affected.

LineStyle

When you start a new drawing, new Layers are automatically assigned the continuous LineStyle. When you create a new Layer, the Layer adopts the LineStyle of the selected Layer.

Entities you draw on the Layer appear in the assigned LineStyle except those to which you assign a LineStyle directly (see: Loading and Setting LineStyles).

To set Layer LineStyles:

On the Layers Manager palette, double-click the LineStyle cell you want to change.
Select a LineStyle or select Other to load a new LineStyle in the Line Style dialog box.
The LineStyle for the Layer is set. When you change the LineStyle, all entities on the Layer that were sketched with the LineStyle designated as ByLayer appear with the changed LineStyle. Entities on the Layer that were sketched with a LineStyle other than the ByLayer LineStyle are not affected.

LineWeight

When you start a new drawing, new Layers are automatically assigned the default LineWeight. When you create a new Layer, the Layer adopts the LineWeight of the selected Layer.

Entities you draw on the Layer appear with the assigned LineWeight except those to which you assign a LineWeight directly (see: Setting the Active LineWeight).

To set Layer LineWeights:

On the Layers Manager palette, double-click the LineWeight cell you want to change.
Select a LineWeight.
The LineWeight for this Layer is set. When you change the LineWeight, all entities on this Layer that were sketched with the LineWeight designated as ByLayer appear with the changed LineWeight. Entities on the Layer that were sketched with a LineWeight other than the ByLayer LineWeight are not affected.

Transparency

You can specify the transparency level for specific Layers. When you start a new drawing, new Layers automatically have no transparency. When you create a new Layer, the Layer adopts the transparency of the selected Layer.

Entities you draw on the Layer appear with the assigned transparency except those to which you assign a transparency directly.

To set Layer transparency:

On the Layers Manager palette, double-click the Transparency cell to change.
Specify a value between 0 and 90% where 0% means no transparency (opaque).
The transparency for the Layer is set. When you change the transparency, all entities on the Layer that you created with the transparency designated as ByLayer appear with the specified transparency. Entities on the Layer that you created with a transparency other than ByLayer are unaffected.

PrintStyle

You can specify whether to print the content of specific Layers with indivual PrintStyles. When you create a new Layer, the Layer adopts the PrintStyle of the selected Layer.

Entities you draw on the Layer appear with the assigned PrintStyle except those to which you assign a PrintStyle directly.

To set Layer PrintStyles:

PrintStyles are only valid if the drawing uses named PrintStyles (.stb files), not color-dependent PrintStyles (.ctb files). You can set named PrintStyles in Tools > Options > System Options > Printing > Default settings > Default type.

On the Layers Manager palette, double-click the PrintStyle cell you want to change.
Select a PrintStyle or select Other to load a new PrintStyle in the Print Styles dialog box.

Description

Optionally you can add a description for each Layer.

To add Layer descriptions:

On the Layers Manager palette, double-click the Description cell you want to add.
Type a description, then pressEnter.

Controlling the Column Display within the Layer Properties Table

You can specify which columns to display in the Layer properties table, change the column order, and the column size.

Right-clicking the header line of the Layer properties table displays a context menu with the following options:

Option	Description
Customize	Displays the Customize Layer Columns dialog box. You can do the following: Specify the columns to display or hide Change the column order
Maximize all columns	Changes the width of all columns to fit the column header and the cell content
Maximize column	Changes the width of the specified column to fit the column header and the cell content
Optimize all columns	Changes the width of all columns to fit the cell content
Optimize column	Changes the width of the specified column to fit the cell content
Reset	Displays all columns with their default size

To show or hide columns:

On the Layers Manager palette, right-click the properties table header and specify Customize.
In the Layer Columns Customization dialog box, enable the columns to display.
Note: Click Clear All to cancel the selections or Select All to select all columns.
Click OK.

To change the order of the columns:

On the Layers Manager palette, right-click the properties table header and specify Customize.
In the Layer Columns Customization dialog box, set the column order using the following buttons:
- Move Up. Moves the selected column higher in the column list.
- Move Down. Moves the selected column lower in the column list.

Controlling Layer Behavior

You can show and hide, freeze and thaw, lock and unlock Layers. You can determine whether Layers are printed or plotted.

And you can predefine whether Layers are frozen or thawed in new Viewports on layout Sheets.

Showing and hiding Layers

When a Layer is shown, the entities on it are visible. Entities on hidden Layers are invisible.

To show or hide Layers:

On the Layers Manager palette, click the icon in the Show cell you want to change.
A green dot means show. A gray dot means hide.

Freezing and thawing Layers

Freezing and thawing controls the visibility and the ability to edit Layers.

When a Layer is frozen, its entities are protected and invisible. Unlike entities on Layers that are turned off, entities on frozen Layers are ignored when the drawing rebuilds. Entities on thawed Layers are unprotected and visible.

You cannot freeze the active Layer.

To freeze or thaw Layers:

On the Layers Manager palette, click the icon in the Frozen cell you want to change.
A snow symbol means frozen. A water symbol means thawed.

Locking and unlocking Layers

When a Layer is locked, you cannot edit the entities on that Layer. You can edit entities on unlocked Layers.

When you lock the active Layer, you can create, but not modify entities on it.

To lock or unlock Layers:

On the Layers Manager palette, click the icon in the Lock cell you want to change.
A closed lock means locked. An open lock means unlocked.

Printing Layers

You can determine whether Layers are printed or plotted. If you turn off printing for a Layer, the entities on the Layer are still displayed.

Hidden or frozen Layers are not printed regardless of the Print setting.

To specify whether a Layer is printed:

On the Layers Manager palette, click the icon in the Print cell you want to change.
The printer icon means print. A stroked out printer icon means do not print.

Freezing Layers in new Viewports on layout Sheets

You can predefine whether Layers are frozen or thawed in new Viewports on layout Sheets.

Freezing specific Layers in all new Viewports restricts the display of the entities on those Layers in any newly created Viewports on layout Sheets but does not affect the Layer behavior and properties in existing Viewports. If you later create a Viewport that requires to display of the Layer, you can change the current setting for the Viewport.

To specify whether Layers are frozen in new Viewports:

On the Layers Manager palette, click the icon in the New Viewport cell you want to change.
The symbol means frozen. The symbol means thawed.

Specifying Layer Property Overrides for Viewport on Layout Sheets

In Viewports on layout Sheets, you can additionally use certain Layer settings.

These settings can also be specified for the layout Sheet itself. The Sheet itself is also considered as a Viewport in layout mode.

The changes in a specific Viewport override the settings for Layers in the Model.

On a layout Sheet, the following extra columns appear in the Layers Manager for the active Viewport:

Active Viewport: Freezes selected Layers only in the active layout Viewport. The symbol means frozen. The symbol means thawed.
VP Color: In the active Viewport, the specified LineColor is used for the entities on the selected Layers.
VP LineStyle: In the active Viewport, the specified LineStyle is used for the entities on the selected Layers.
VP LineWeight: In the active Viewport, the specified LineWeight is used for the entities on the selected Layers.
VP Transparency: In the active Viewport, the specified level of Transparency is used for the entities on the selected Layers.
VP PrintStyle: In the active Viewport, the specified PrintStyle is used for the entities on the selected Layers.

Note: If settings in a Viewport differ from the default setting for a Layer in the Model, the corresponding cells are highlighted in the Layers list.

Applying Group and Property Filters

You can create filters that contain Layers you specify. Grouping Layers this way establishes group filters.

The following Layer group filters are predefined:

All. Groups all the Layers in the current drawing.
All Non-Reference Layers . Groups all Layers that are not referenced from an external reference drawing.
All Used Layers . Groups all the Layers on which the current drawing entities are drawn.
Reference . Groups all the Layers being referenced from other drawings. The Reference filter is automatically created when attaching external references to the drawing.
You can can restore a single override property or all property overrides on all layers for a reference drawing. A context menu provides all necessary options.
Viewport Overrides . Groups all the Layers containing property overrides in the current layout viewport.
Reference Overrides . Groups all the Layer being referenced from another drawings containing layer property overrides.

For new Layer groups, drag Layers from the Layer list to the group name to add them.

You can also create property filters which reduce the Layers list to Layers with specified properties and settings. For example, you can limit the Layers list to Layers which are frozen or locked.

To create Layer group filters and assign Layers to them:

On the Layers Manager palette, expand the Layer Filters panel.
In the tree view of the Edit Layer Filters section, click the node in which you want to create a new filter.
Right-click New Group Filter.
A new filter is added to the tree view. The filter is a level below the item selected in the tree view so you can create a hierarchical Layer filter structure.
Double-click the new filter and type a name for it.
Select one or more Layers from the Layer list and drag them into the filter tree view onto the filter name you created.

To create Layer property filters and assign Layers to them:

On the Layers Manager palette, expand the Layer Filters panel.
In the tree view of the Edit Layer Filters section, click the node in which you want to create a new filter.
Right-click New Properties Filter.
A new filter is added to the tree view. The filter is a level below the item selected in the tree view so you can create a hierarchical Layer filter structure.
Click the new filter name, which opens the Layer Properties Filter dialog box.
In the Properties area of the dialog box, set the properties which define the filter.
Optionally, click Add row to add another row with different set of properties.
Click Delete row to delete a row of property criterias.
Select one or more Layers from the Layer list and drag them into the filter tree view onto the filter name you created.

To delete filters:

On the Layers Manager palette, click Edit Filters.
Select the filter to delete and click Delete.
Click Close.

To display the Layers matching the criteria of a filter:

In the filter tree view, select a Layer filter name.
The Layers list of the Layers Manager is reduced to the Layers which meet the criteria of the selected filter.

To reset Reference Layer properties:

On the Layers Manager palette, expand the Layer Filters panel.
In the tree view of the Edit Layer Filters section, expand Reference.
Right-click the reference drawing node for which you want to reset properties and click Reset Reference Layer Properties.
A menu displays all properties for which you can restore the value.
Select the Reset All option.
- or -

Select the property for which you want to reset the value.

Filters Context Menu

Right-clicking a node in the Filters tree view displays a context menu with commands that can be applied to the selected filter, including the All and All Used Layers filters.

Visibility

Controls the visibility state of the Layers in the selected filters.

Lock

Controls lock state of the Layers in the selected filters.

Reset Reference Layer Properties

Restores the properties of the Layers from the specified reference drawing. You can restore all properties or only a single property. Right-clicking a reference drawing name in the Reference Layer group filter displays a menu with all Layer properties, such as Show, Fozen, Lock, etc.

New Properties Filter

Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box. You can create a new Layer property filter by specifying a set of Layer properties, such as LineColor, LineStyle, LineWeight and PrintStyle.

New Group Filter

Creates a new Layer group filter with a specified name. To add Layers into the group, drag Layers from the Layer list to the new Layer group.

Note: Selecting a Layer filter in the tree view displays the list of Layers.

Convert to Group Filter

Creates a Layer group filter based on the selected Layer property filter.

Delete Filter

Deletes the selected Layer property filter. You cannot delete predefined filters.

Rename Filter

Renames the selected Layer property filter.

Properties

Displays the Layer Properties Filter dialog box. You can modify the settings of the specified Layer Properties Filter.

Specify Layers

For a specified group filter you can add or replace Layers.

Add. Adds Layers to the specified group filter from the entities selected in the graphics area.
Replace. Replaces the layers of the selected layer group filter with the layers of the objects that are selected in the drawing.

Setting Display Options

You can set additional display options:

Reverse Filter: Displays all Layers that match the inverted criteria of the selected filter name.
Display "in use" status: Marks all unused Layers in the Status list with a white Layer icon. The icon changes from to . In large drawings with many Layers, clear this option to improve performance in the Layers Manager.
Apply current filter to Layers toolbar: Reflects the active filter of the Layers Manager in the Layers list of the Layers toolbar.

Access

Command: Layer

Menu: Format > Layer

Ribbon: Home > Layers > Layers Manager