Advanced Editing and Organizing - Mastering AutoCAD for Mac - page 409

C H A N G I N G T H E L A Y E R A S S I G N M E N T O F O B J E C T S
There are two tools that change the layer assignments of objects: the Layer Match tool and the
Change To Current Layer tool.
The Layer Match tool is similar to the Match Properties tool, but it's streamlined to operate
only on layer assignments. After clicking this tool on the Layers palette, select the object or
objects you want to change, press ↵, and then select an object whose layer you want to match.
The Change To Current Layer tool on the Format  Layer Tools submenu on the menu bar
changes an object's layer assignment to the current layer. This tool has long existed as an
AutoLISP utility, and you'll find that you'll get a lot of use from it.
C O N T R O L L I N G L A Y E R S E T T I N G S T H R O U G H O B J E C T S
The remaining Layer tools let you make layer settings by selecting objects in the drawing. These
tools are easy to use: click the tool or menu item, and then select an object.
The following list describes each tool:
Layer Isolate/Layer Unisolate Layer Isolate turns off all the layers except for the layer of
the selected object. Layer Unisolate restores the layer settings to the way the drawing was set
before you used Layer Isolate.
Layer Freeze Freezes the layer of the selected object.
Layer Off Turns off the layer of the selected object.
Layer Lock/Layer Unlock Locks/unlocks the layer of the selected object. A locked layer is
visible but can't be edited.
Make Object's Layer Current Enables you to set the current layer by selecting an object
that is on the desired layer.
Isolate To Current Viewport Enables you to freeze layers in all but the current viewport by
selecting objects that are on the layers to be frozen. Found in the Format  Layer Tools sub-
menu on the menu bar.
Delete Deletes all objects on a layer and then deletes the layer. Found in the Format  Layer
Tools submenu on the menu bar.
S E L E C T S I M I L A R A N D I S O L A T E O B J E C T F O R E A S I E R E D I T I N G
There are a few new features that can help speed up object selection. First, let's explore the
Select Similar command.
Just as the name implies, Select Similar will select all objects in the drawing that are similar
to the one currently selected. For example, if you wish to select all similar hatches on the draw-
ing, Select Similar will be your best friend. This command can be invoked either before or after
object selection. If you choose to use it before selecting objects, you can find the tool on the Tool
Sets palette. The Select objects or [Settings]: prompt is displayed. Select an object, such
as a line, and then press Enter. All items on the drawing that are lines and are on the same layer
and color will be highlighted.
If you select an object and right-click, you'll see the Select Similar option. Click on a line,
right-click, and then click Select Similar, and all the lines that are on the selected line's layer will
be highlighted.