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COMMAND OF THE MONTH
Command of the Month: Layer States
by Ralph Grabowski
Layers are fundamental to CAD; indeed, for many years, the concept of
layers separated CAD from all other graphical software. (In recent years,
even raster editing software, such as PaintShop Pro, have embraced layers.)
Layers let you separate the data logically: all electrical schematics
places on the ElectSch layer, for example. Via layers, you can assign
and change colors, linetypes, linewidths, etc -- all properties affecting
all objects assigned to specific layers. In addition, layers can be turned
off (making their object invisible) and not plotted.
Because layers are so important to controlling CAD drawings, several industry
organizations have attempted over the last decade to create layer standards.
The most famous is the CAD Layer Guidelines published by the AIA (American
Institute of Architects). Their guidelines suggest layer names that look
like this:
E-LGHT-EMER-NEWW
E-LGHT-SWCH-DEMO
These are two layer names. The first name is for electrical emergency
lighting to be added (NEWW = new work); the second layer name is for light
switches to be removed (DEMO = demolished). Notice how the dashes separate
the layer name into four sections, moving from the general to the specific:
E (electrical); LGHT (lighting); EMER (emergency), and NEWW.
Until Release 14, however, layers could not be easily shared between drawings.
If a client sent you an AutoCAD template drawing with his layer standards,
you were kind of stuck. Release 14 includes a bonus command -- LMan,
short for Layer Manager -- that allows you to export and import layer
names. AutoCAD 2000's DesignCenter allows you to drag and drop
layer names from one drawing to another.
With 2000i, Autodesk finally integrated layer management into the Layer
command's dialog box (the online help makes it sound that the "Layer
States Manager" is a separate command, but it is not). The Layer
Properties Manager dialog box in AutoCAD 2000i contains two new buttons:
* Save state: saves the current state of layers; allows you to
control which layer properties are saved.
* Restore state: restores a saved state of layers; edits, exports,
imports, and deletes saved layer states.
The "state" of a layer consists of its settings and properties,
such as whether it is turned on or frozen, its color, and linetype. The
Layer States Manager allows you to take a "snapshot" of all
a drawing's layers and their status. You can then either (1) retore the
settings at a later time, such as just before plotting the drawing; or
(2) export and import the settings for use with other drawings. When exported,
the layer states are saved in a file with the extension LAS (short for
LAyer State).
Tips:
Layer states of xref drawings are not saved.
When a drawing is inserted as a block, the layer states are added to the
current drawing.
Saved layer states are preserved during the WBlock command when
specifying the entire drawing option (-WBlock *).
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Command: Layer states (not a command but a new function of Layer
command).
Purpose: Saves and restores the current state of layers in a drawing;
allows the sharing of layers with other drawings.
Notes: This command was available in AutoCAD R14 as the LMan (layer
manager) command; also available in AutoCAD LT 2000i.
Aliases: none
Shortcut: none
Menu bar: none
Tablet menu: none
Status bar: none
Toolbar: none
To access layer states:
1. Open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box in AutoCAD 2000i via
the Layer command.
2. In dialog box, click the Save state button to save the current
state of layers.
At the command line:
Command: -layer
Current layer: "0"
Enter an option
[?/Make/Set/New/ON/OFF/Color/Ltype/LWeight/Plot/PStyle/Freeze/Thaw/LOck/Unlock/stAte]:
a
Enter an option [?/Save/Restore/Edit/Name/Delete/Import/EXport]:
Related commands:
none
Related system variables:
none
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