Layer Properties Manager

Access Methods

Ribbon: Home tab

Layers panel

Layer Properties

Summary

Displays a list of the layers in the drawing and their properties. You can customize the way layers sort and display in the Layer Properties Manager

List of Options

The following options are displayed.

Set Current

Sets the selected layer as the current layer.

Current Layer

Displays the name of the current layer.

Filter Tree

The left-hand pane of the Layer Properties Manager displays a hierarchical list of filters in the drawing. The top node, All, displays all layers in the drawing. Filters are displayed in alphabetical order. The All Used Layers filter is read-only.

If there are externally referenced files attached to the drawing, an XREF node displays the names of all the external references in the drawing and the layers in each external reference. Layer filters defined in externally referenced files are not displayed.

If there are layers that contain property overrides, a Viewport Overrides node is automatically created and displays those layers and the properties that contain overrides. The Viewport Overrides filter displays only when the Layer Properties Manager is accessed from a layout tab.

If there are new layers that have been added to the drawing since the layer list was last evaluated, an Unreconciled New Layers filter is automatically created and displays new layers that need to be reconciled.

Filter Tree Shortcut Menu: Provides commands for items selected in the tree view.

Visibility

Changes the visibility state of all the layers in the selected filter (or All or All Used Layers, if selected).

On: Objects on the layer are displayed, plotted, and regenerated and hide other objects.
Off: Objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects. The drawing is not regenerated when you turn the layer on.
Thawed: Objects on the layer are displayed and plotted and hide other objects.
Frozen: Objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects. The drawing is regenerated when you thaw the layer.

Lock

Controls whether the objects on the layers in the selected filter can be modified.

Lock: None of the objects on the layer can be modified. You can still apply object snaps to objects on a locked layer and perform other operations that do not modify those objects.
Unlock: Objects on the layer can be modified.

Viewport

In the current layout viewport, controls the VP Freeze setting of the layers in the selected layer filter. This option is not available for model space viewports.

Freeze: Sets VP Freeze for layers in the filter. In the current viewport, objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects. The drawing is regenerated when you thaw the layer.
Thaw: Clears VP Freeze for layers in the filter. In the current viewport, objects on the layer are displayed and plotted and hide other objects. This option does not thaw layers that are set to Off or Frozen in the drawing.

Isolate Group

Turns off all layers not in the selected filter. The layers that are visible are the layers in the filter.

All Viewports: In all viewports in a layout, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not in the selected filter. In model space, turns off all layers that are not in the selected filter.
Active Viewport Only: In the current layout viewport, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not in the selected filter. In model space, turns off all layers that are not in the selected filter.

Convert to Group Filter

Converts the selected layer property filter to a layer group filter. Changing the properties of the layers in a layer group filter has no effect on the filter.

Layer List

The right-hand pane displays layers and layer filters and their properties and descriptions. If a layer filter is selected in the filter tree, the layer list displays only the layers in that layer filter. The All filter in the filter tree displays all layers and layer filters in the drawing. When a layer property filter is selected and there are no layers that fit its definition, the layer list is empty. To modify a property of a selected layer or of all layers in a selected filter, click the icon for that property. When a mixed icon or “Varies” is displayed for a layer filter, the property is not the same for all layers in the filter.

Status

Indicates the type of item: layer filter, layer in use, empty layer, or current layer.

Name

Displays the name of the layer or filter. Press F2 to enter a new name.

On

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 Plot is on.

Freeze

Freezes the selected layers in all viewports, including the Model tab. You can freeze layers to speed up zooming and panning, and reduce regeneration time for complex drawings.

Objects on frozen layers are not displayed, plotted, or regenerated.

Freeze the layers you want to be invisible for long periods. If you plan to switch visibility settings frequently, use the On/Off setting to avoid regenerating the drawing. You can freeze a layer in all viewports, in the current layout viewport, or in new layout viewports as they are created.

Lock

Locks and unlocks the selected layers. Objects on a locked layer cannot be modified.

Color

Changes the color associated with the selected layers. Clicking the color name displays the Select Color dialog box.

Linetype

Changes the linetype associated with the selected layers. Clicking the linetype name displays the Select Linetype dialog box.

Lineweight

Changes the lineweight associated with the selected layers. Clicking the lineweight name displays the Lineweight dialog box.

Transparency

Controls the visibility of all objects on the selected layer. Clicking the Transparency value displays the Layer Transparency dialog box.

Plot Style

Displays the plot style associated with the selected layers.

Plot

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.

New VP Freeze

Freezes selected layers in new layout viewports. For example, freezing the DIMENSIONS layer in all new viewports restricts the display of dimensions on that layer 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.

VP Freeze (available only from a layout tab)

Freezes selected layers in the current layout viewport. You can freeze or thaw layers in the current viewport without affecting layer visibility in other viewports.

VP Freeze is an override to the Thaw setting in the drawing. That is, you can freeze a layer in the current viewport if it's thawed in the drawing, but you can't thaw a layer in the current viewport if it's frozen or off in the drawing. A layer is not visible when it is set to Off or Frozen in the drawing.

VP Color (available only from a layout tab)

Sets an override for the color associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.

VP Linetype (available only from a layout tab)

Sets an override for the linetype associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.

VP Lineweight (available only from a layout tab)

Sets an override for the lineweight associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.

VP Transparency (available only from a layout tab)

Sets an override for transparency associated with the selected layer for the current layout viewport.

VP Plot Style (available only from a layout tab)

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, you cannot set a plot style override.

Description

Describes the layer or the layer filter.

Status Line

Shows the name of the current filter, the number of layers displayed in the layer list, and the number of layers in the drawing.

Invert Filter

Displays all layers that do not meet the criteria in the selected layer property filter.

Layer List Shortcut Menu

Provides options for modifying the list and modifying selected layers and layer filters.

Column Label Shortcut Menu

Column Label Shortcut Menu: The column label shortcut menu is displayed when you right-click one of the column headings in the layer list.
Column Names: Lists all columns by name. Columns that are checked indicate they are displayed. Hidden column names are not checked. VP Freeze, VP Color, VP Linetype, VP Lineweight, and VP Plot Style are available only when a layout viewport is active.
Customize: Displays the Customize Layer Columns dialog box, where you can specify which columns are hidden or displayed.
Maximize All Columns: Changes the width of all columns to maximize display of the column content.
Maximize Column: Changes the width of the column to maximize display of the column content.
Restore All Columns to Defaults: Restores all columns to their default display and width settings.

Layer Shortcut Menu

Show Filter Tree: Displays the filter tree. Clear this option to hide the filter tree.
Show Filters in Layer List: Displays filters at the top of the list view. The filters are listed in alphabetical order. Clear the check mark to display only layers in the list view.
Set Current: Sets the selected layer as the current layer.
Remove from Group Filter: Removes the selected layers from the group layer filter that is selected in the filter tree.
Remove Viewport Overrides For: 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 accessed. To remove a single property override, right-click the property override. This option is only available on the layout tab.
VP Freeze Layer in All Viewports: Freezes the selected layer in all existing layout viewports and new viewports.
VP Thaw Layer in All Viewports: Thaws the selected layer in all existing layout viewports and new viewports.
Isolate Selected Layers: Turns off all layers except the selected layers.
Merge Selected Layer(s) To ...: Combines the selected layers into a specified layer. Objects on the selected layers are moved to the new layer and inherit the properties for that layer.
Select All: Selects everything displayed in the layer list.
Clear All: Removes selection from all items in the layer list except the most recently selected layer or filter.
Select All but Current: Selects everything displayed in the layer list except the current layer.
Invert Selection: Selects everything displayed in the layer list except the items that are currently selected.
Invert Layer Filter: Displays all layers that do not meet the criteria in the selected layer property filter.
Layer Filters: Displays a list of layer filters, including All and All Used Layers. Click a filter to apply it to the layer list.