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AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015 Bible

The most comprehensive AutoCAD book around!

Know when unwanted layers creep into your drawing with layer notification

Layers are a big issue when it comes to maintaining drawing standards. Where you work, you may have lots of rules about which layers your drawings can have.

Xrefs can be a problem for drawing standards, because when you attach an xref, its layers come along for the ride. This is especially an issue when […]

Maintain standards by returning objects to ByLayer settings

You’ve certainly heard the principle that you should use layers to give objects properties. When you create a layer, you give that layer a

Color Linetype Lineweight Transparancy Plotstyle

Also, for 3D drawings, you can apply a material to a layer with the MATERIALATTACH layer.

But it is all too easy to make an exception […]

Use layers from existing drawings so you don’t have to recreate them

It’s always wiser to reuse work you’ve done than to recreate it from scratch. You spend spend time creating layers and you shouldn’t have to do it again.

Use the DesignCenter to access layers

An easy way to get layers from another drawing is to use the DesignCenter. Follow these steps:

Press Ctrl+2 to open […]

Keep your own styles, layers & blocks at the top of the list

You’re always creating styles — text, dimension, etc. — layers, and blocks. But when you open the Layer Properties Manager or any other list with these items, they are alphabetized. Especially if you’re sharing drawings with others who add their own styles, layers, and blocks, what can you do to make it easier to find […]

How to merge layers in AutoCAD–move objects to another layer and delete the merged layer

You may have objects on the wrong layer–in fact, you may not want to even keep the layer those objects are on. The solution is the LAYMRG command. This is a guest post by Will Forty, who has a great blog called HowToAutoCAD.com.

He writes:

“I was recently asked if there was a quick way […]

Get notification when layers are added to your drawing—or not

A reader recently asked me the following question about AutoCAD 2008:

“When I’m working with xrefs, this comes up a lot: ‘Unreconciled new layer, new layers were found that may need to be reconciled.’ What is this and how do I correct this?”

AutoCAD 2008 introduced layer notification, which is a feature that lets you […]

Easily hide and isolate objects in AutoCAD 2011

AutoCAD 2011 has three new commands that help you hide selected objects or isolate them (hide everything except the selected objects).

The ISOLATEOBJECTS command hides all objects except those that you select. After selecting objects, right-click in the drawing area and choose Isolate> Isolate Objects. The HIDEOBJECTS command hides selected objects. Select the objects, right-click […]

Tips for working with layers

Everyone works with layers. Most of the time, you set up your layers in a template and that’s that. But when you need to make changes, a few tips can help make the process easier. Here are some of mine:

Create a similar layer: When you create a new layer, often you want its properties […]

Manage layers with LAYWALK

Do you need to know which objects are on which layers? Count your layers? Hide objects on other layers? Layer Walk (the LAYWALK) command does all this and more. It was once part of Express Tools, but has become part of core AutoCAD.

Layer Walk is quite a powerhouse and pulls together capabilities from several […]

Tutorial: Filter the layer list

Do you have so many layers that you spend too much time rummaging through them? You can filter the layer list so that you see only what you want to see. One advantage to this is that you can then easily select several layers and makes changes to the group, all at once. For example, […]