Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
FREEZE, LOCK, TRANSPARENCY, AND OTHER LAYER OPTIONS
You were briefly introduced to the Freeze/Thaw icon in the Layers palette. This icon is similar to
the On/Off icon. However, Freeze/Thaw not only makes layers invisible, it also tells AutoCAD to
ignore the contents of those layers during selection and display operations. Freezing layers can save
time when you issue a command that regenerates a complex drawing. This is because AutoCAD
ignores objects on frozen layers during regen. You'll get firsthand experience with Freeze and Thaw
in Chapter 7, “Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References.”
Another Layers palette option, Lock/Unlock, offers functionality similar to Freeze/Thaw. If you
lock a layer, you can view and snap to objects on that layer, but you can't edit those objects. This
feature is useful when you're working on a crowded drawing and you don't want to accidentally edit
portions of it. You can lock all the layers except those you intend to edit and then proceed to work
without fear of making accidental changes. Locked layers will dim slightly to help you distinguish
them from unlocked layers.
The Properties Inspector palette offers a Transparency slider that allows you to control the trans-
parency of layers. The slider does not affect printer output unless you turn on the Plot option just
below the Transparency slider.
Three more Properties Inspector palette options—Lineweight, Plot Style, and Plot—offer control
over the appearance of printer output. Lineweight lets you control the width of lines in a layer. Plot
Style lets you assign plotter configurations to specific layers. (You'll learn more about plot styles
in Chapter 8.) Plot lets you determine whether a layer gets printed in hard-copy output. This can
be useful for setting up layers you may use for layout purposes only. The Linetype option lets you
control line patterns, such as dashed or center lines.
N A M I N G L A Y E R S T O S T A Y O R G A N I Z E D
If you name layers carefully, you can use them as a powerful layer-management tool. For exam-
ple, suppose you have a drawing whose layer names are set up to help you easily identify floor-
plan data versus ceiling-plan data, as in the following list:
A-FP-WALL-JAMB
•u
A-FP-WIND-JAMB
•u
A-CP-WIND-HEAD
•u
•u
A-CP-DOOR-HEAD
L-FP-CURB
•u
C-FP-ELEV
•u
The first character in the layer name designates the discipline related to that layer: A for
architectural, L for landscape, C for civil, and so on. In this example, layers with names contain-
ing the two characters FP signify floor-plan layers. CP designates ceiling-plan information.
These layer name examples are loosely based on a layer naming convention devised by the
American Institute of Architects (AIA). As you can see from this example, careful naming of
layers can help you manage them.
 
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