You can add, delete, and rename layers, change their properties, set property overrides in layout viewports, and add layer descriptions.
LAYER (Command) Find
Hover over the image to find clickable areas which jump to the Help section for those controls.
Creates a layer with a default name that you can immediately change. The new layer inherits the properties of the currently selected layer in the layer list.
Creates a layer and freezes it in all existing layout viewports. This button is accessible from the Model tab or layout tabs.
Deletes selected layers. The following layers cannot be deleted:
Sets the selected layer as the current layer. New objects are automatically created on the current layer. (CLAYER system variable)
Modify the layer properties using the layer list. Click the current setting to change the layer property for the selected layer or group of layers.
Displays the name of the layer or filter. Press F2 to enter a new name.
Turns the selected layers on and off. When a layer is on, it is visible and available for plotting. When a layer is off, it is invisible and not plotted, even if the setting in the Plot column is turned on.
Freezes the selected layers. You can freeze layers to improve performance and reduce regeneration time in complex drawings. Objects on frozen layers are not displayed, plotted, or regenerated.
In drawings that support 3D modeling, frozen layers are not rendered. (Not applicable to AutoCAD LT.)
Locks and unlocks the selected layers. Objects on a locked layer cannot be modified. Objects on locked layers appear faded and a small lock icon is displayed when you hover over the object.
Displays the Select Color dialog box, where you can specify a color for the selected layers.
Displays the Select Linetype dialog box, where you can specify a linetype for the selected layers.
Displays the Lineweight dialog box, where you can specify a lineweight for the selected layers.
Displays the Transparency dialog box, where you can specify a transparency for the selected layers. Valid values are from 0 to 90. The higher the value, the more transparent the objects appear.
Displays the Select Plot Style dialog box where you can change the plot style for the selected layers. For color-dependent plot styles (the PSTYLEPOLICY system variable is set to 1), you cannot change the plot style associated with a layer.
Controls whether the selected layers are plotted. If you turn off plotting for a layer, the objects on that layer are still displayed. Layers that are off or frozen are not plotted, regardless of the Plot setting.
Freezes selected layers in new layout viewports. For example, freezing the DIMENSIONS layer in all new viewports restricts the display of dimensions in any newly created layout viewports but does not affect the DIMENSIONS layer in existing viewports. If you later create a viewport that requires dimensions, you can override the default setting by changing the current viewport setting.
Freezes selected layers only in the current layout viewport. If a layer is already frozen or turned off in the drawing, you can't thaw the layer in the current layout viewport.
Sets an override for the color associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.
Sets an override for the linetype associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.
Sets an override for the lineweight associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.
Sets an override for transparency associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.
Sets an override for the plot style associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport. Override settings are not visible in the viewport or plotted when the visual style in the drawing is set to Conceptual or Realistic. For color-dependent plot styles (the PSTYLEPOLICY system variable is set to 1), you cannot set a plot style override.
(Optional) Describes the layer or the layer filter.
Filters the layer list by name as you enter characters in the box.
Character | Definition |
---|---|
# (pound) | Matches any numeric digit |
@ (at) | Matches any alphabetic character |
. (period) | Matches any non-alphanumeric character |
* (asterisk) | Matches any string and can be used anywhere in the search string |
? (question mark) | Matches any single character; for example, ?BC matches ABC, 3BC, and so on |
~ (tilde) | Matches anything but the pattern; for example, ~*AB*matches all strings that don't contain AB |
[ ] | Matches any one of the characters enclosed; for example, [AB]C matches AC and BC |
[~] | Matches any character not enclosed; for example, [~AB]C matches XC but not AC |
[-] | Specifies a range for a single character; for example, [A-G]C matches AC, BC to GC, but not HC |
` (reverse quote) | Reads the next character literally; for example, `~AB matches ~AB |
Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a layer filter. Layer filters limit the layers listed in the Layer Properties Manager to those with specified settings and properties. For example, you can limit the list of layers to only those that are turned on and thawed.
Creates a layer filter that includes only the layers that you drag to the filter.
Displays all layers that do not meet the criteria in the selected layer filter.
Displays the list of layer filters in the drawing. Click to expand or collapse the filter list. When the Filters list is collapsed, use the Layer Filter button () at the bottom-left corner of the Layer Properties Manager to display a list of filters.
There are seven predefined filters:
Displays the Layer States Manager, where you can save, restore, and manage sets of layer settings that are called layer states.
Refreshes the order of the layer list and the layer status information.
Displays the Layer Settings dialog box, where you can set various display options.
Lists all columns by name. A check mark indicates that the column is included in the display. Click a column name to display or hide the column. VP Freeze, VP Color, VP Linetype, VP Lineweight, and VP Plot Style are available only when a layout viewport is active.
Displays the Customize Layer Columns dialog box, where you can specify which columns are hidden or displayed, or change the column order.
Changes the width of all columns to fit the column headers and the data content.
Changes the width of the selected column to fit the column header and the data content of that column.
Changes the width of all columns to fit the content in each column.
Changes the width of the selected column to fit the content in that column.
Freeze keeps the column, and any columns to the left, visible while scrolling. Unfreeze so that all columns scroll.
Sets all columns to their default display and width settings.
Displays the Filters list. Clear this option to hide the list. Same as .
Displays layer filters at the top of the layer list. Clear this option to display only layers in the layer list.
Sets the selected layer as the current layer. Same as .
Creates a layer. Same as .
Edits the layer name.
Deletes selected layers from the drawing file. Same as .
Edits a description for the selected layer. If layer filters are displayed in the layer list, editing the description for the filter, edits it on all layers in the filter.
Removes the selected layers from the layer group filter that is selected in the Filters list.
Removes a single override property or all property overrides on selected layers (or all layers) for an xref or all xrefs. Different options display in a flyout menu depending on where the cursor is located when the shortcut menu is opened. To remove a single xref property override, right-click the property override.
Removes new layers from the Unreconciled New Layers filter. This option is available only when unreconciled layers are selected. When the layer notification feature is turned on, a new layer is considered unreconciled until you accept the layer as reconciled.
This option is only available in layout viewports. Removes a single override property or all property overrides on selected layers (or all layers) for the current viewport or all viewports. Different options display in a flyout menu depending on where the cursor is located when the shortcut menu is opened. To remove a single property override, right-click the property override.
Creates a layer and freezes it in all existing layout viewports and new viewports. Same as .
Freezes the selected layer in all new and existing layout viewports.
Thaws the selected layer in all new and existing layout viewports.
Selects all the layers displayed in the layer list.
Deselects all layers in the layer list.
Selects all the layers displayed in the layer list except the current layer.
Selects everything displayed in the layer list except the items that are currently selected.
Displays all layers that do not meet the criteria in the active layer property filter.
Displays a list of layer filters, including default layer filters. Click a filter to apply it to the layer list.
Saves the current layer settings as a layer state.
Displays the Layer States Manager, where you can select a layer state to restore. This operation restores only those settings that were specified in the Layer States Manager when the layer state was saved.
Changes the visibility of the layers in the selected filters.
Controls whether layers are locked or unlocked in the selected filters.
In the current layout viewport, controls the VP Freeze setting of the layers in the selected filters.
Freezes all layers that are not included in the selected filters.
Removes the xref property overrides for the selected xref. You can either reset all overrides for a selected xref or a specific xref layer property override.
Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box. Same as .
Creates a layer group filter. Same as .
Converts the selected layer property filter to a layer group filter.
Edits the selected layer filter name.
Removes the selected layer filter. You cannot delete the All, All Used Layers, or Xref layer filters.
Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can modify the definitions of the selected layer property filter. This option is available only when a layer property filter is selected.
Adds or replaces layers in the selected layer group filter. This option is available only when a layer group filter is selected.