Manages layer properties.
Layers are a way of organizing objects so you can manipulate them all at once or keep track of them in some way. When objects are on a layer, you can turn them all off at once, change their wireframe
display color, and select them all with one selection.
The layer dialog box gives you tools for managing the layers in your model.
To display a shortcut window
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Left-click the Layer pane in the status bar.
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The Layers popup gives you access to common layer settings: on/off, locked/unlocked, color, and current status.
To open the Layers dialog box
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Right-click the Layer pane in the status bar.
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Layer dialog box.
Layer Toolbar Options
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New Layer Layer names are created with incremented numbers. Edit the layer to change its name. In addition to using the context menu, you can select the layer and click the layer name or press F2. Both of these actions will highlight the layer name so you can type a new one. |
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New Sublayer Creates a new layer subordinate to the selected layer. |
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Delete If a layer you want to delete has objects on it, a warning dialog appears. |
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Move Up Move the selected layers up in the list. |
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Move Down Move the selected layers down in the list. |
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Move Up One Parent Moves the selected layer up one level in the layer tree structure. |
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Filters When a model has a large number of layers, the list of layers may be difficult to manage. Layer filters let you adjust the visibility of the layers in the dialog box. The status of the filter displays in the dialog box title. All Layers On Layers Off Layers Locked Layers Unlocked Layers Layers with Objects Empty Layers Selected Layers Filtered Layers Allows a custom filter. Filter Options Match Type a string of characters to match the layer name to. You can include wildcard characters: * = match zero or more characters Set the layer attributes to match (on, off, or locked, and whether or not there are objects on the layer). And are: On Off Locked Unlocked And have: Objects No objects |
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Tools Select All Select all layers currently displayed in the list. Invert selection Inverts the selection state. All selected layers are unselected and all unselected layers are selected. Select Objects Select objects for layer change. Select Object Layers Select layers to match selected objects. Change Object Layer Change object to selected layer. Copy Objects to Layer Copy objects to selected layer. Collapse All Hide all child layers. Expand All Show all child layers. |
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Help Display the Layer Help topic. |
To sort the list
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Click the column heading.
To hide or show columns
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Right-click
the column heading, and check or clear the column name.
To change a column width
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Drag the column heading dividers.
To edit a layer
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Right-click
the layer name and select an option from the context menu.
Layer Options
Current
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A check and shading |
Name
Layer name.
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The layer is visible and you can edit objects on this layer. |
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The layer is visible, but you cannot edit objects on this layer. |
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The layer is visible and you can see objects on this layer. |
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The layer is not visible and you cannot see objects on this layer. |
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The default screen display color for objects on this layer. |
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The material is the color and other properties |
The material library is assigned to objects on this layer by default.
The linetype assigned to the layer.
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The color assigned to the layer for printing only. |
The line width assigned to the layer for printing only.
Note: Change the properties of individual objects with the Properties
command.
To select layers
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In the Layers dialog box, select layers. Use normal Windows selection tools: hold the Shift
key to select a group of adjacent layer names, and hold the Ctrl
key to select individual layer names. Click and drag the cursor over a list of layers to select them.
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You can select all layers, select a set of layers, and Invert
the selection.
To edit a layer
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Click the layer name and select an option from the Layer Toolbar.
Set Current
Makes the selected layer current.
Set Properties
On
Off
Lock
Unlock
Color
Material
Linetype
Print Color
Print Width
New Layer
Creates a new layer.
New Sublayer
Creates a new sublayer.
Rename Layer
Renames the current layer.
Delete Layer
Deletes the selected layers.
Select All
Selects all layers currently displayed in the list.
Inverts the selection state. All selected layers are unselected and unselected layers are selected.
Select Objects
Selects objects on the selected layers.
Change Object Layer
Selects objects in the model to change to selected layer.
Copy Objects to Layer
Selects objects to copy to selected layer.
-Layer
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Standard > Edit Layers Layer > Edit Layers
Edit > Layers > Edit Layers
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Related topics…
Turns off a layer designated by selecting an object on the layer.
Steps:
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Select an object on the layer.
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Layer > One Layer Off
Edit > Layers > One Layer Off
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Turns a specified layer on and all other layers off.
Steps:
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Select the layer to turn on from the list.
-OneLayerOn
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Layer > One Layer On
Edit > Layers > One Layer On
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Changes the layer of selected objects.
Steps:
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Select
the objects.
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Select the layer name from the list.
Options
Pick
Select an object to specify the layer.
New
Create a new layer.
Set layer current
Set the selected layer current.
-ChangeLayer
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Layer > Change Object Layer
Edit > Layers > Change Object Layer
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Changes the layer of selected objects to the current layer.
Steps:
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Select
objects.
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None
Edit > Layers > Change Object to Current Layer
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Copy selected objects to a specified layer.
Steps:
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Select
objects.
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Select the layer name from the list.
Options
Pick
Select an object to specify the layer.
New
Create a new layer.
Set layer current
Sets the target layer current.
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Layer > Copy Objects to Layer
Edit > Layers > Copy Objects to Layer
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Changes the layer property of selected objects to correspond to the layer property of another selected object.
Steps:
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Select
the objects for layer change
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Select an object on the target layer.
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Layer > Match Object Layer (Right click)
Edit > Layers > Match Object Layer
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Copies a layer including all layer attributes and geometry.
Steps:
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Select
a layer name from the list
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Type a name for the new layer.
Options
Set the new layer current
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Layer > Duplicate layer
Edit > Layers > Duplicate Layer
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Makes the layer of a selected object the current layer.
Steps:
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Select
an object on the layer you want to be current.
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Layer > Set Current Layer to Object (Right click)
Edit > Layers > Set Current Layer to Object
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Saves the current state of layers to a file or restores the state of layers from a saved file.
Steps:
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Set up your layers.
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The Layer State Manager saves the current layer settings.
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In the Layer State Manager dialog box, click Save, and then type a name for the configuration.
To restore a layer state
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From the Saved Layer States list, select a layer state name, and click Restore.
To delete a layer state
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From the Saved Layer States list, select a layer state name, and click Delete.
To import a layer state from a saved file
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Click Import, and then select layer states file (.lay) and click Open.
To export a layer state to a file
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Click Export, and then type a file name (.lay) and click Save.
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Layer > Layer state manager
Edit > Layers > Layer State Manager
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Sets the linetype option for a specified layer.
Steps:
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Type the layer name.
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Type the linetype name.
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None
None
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