Layer Properties Manager

Summary

You can add, delete, and rename layers, change their properties, set property overrides for layout viewports, or add layer descriptions and apply changes in realtime. You do not need to click Ok or Apply to view property changes. Layer filters control which layers are displayed in the list and can also be used to make changes to more than one layer at a time.

When switching space (model space to layout space or layout to viewport), the Layer Properties Manager is updated and displays the current state of the layer properties and filter selection in the current space.

List of Options

The following options are displayed.

New Property Filter

Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a layer filter based on one or more properties of the layers.

New Group Filter

Creates a layer filter that contains layers that you select and add to the filter.

Layer States Manager

Displays the Layer States Manager, in which you can save the current property settings for layers in a named layer state and then restore those settings later.

New Layer

Creates a new layer. The list displays a layer named LAYER1. The name is selected so that you can enter a new layer name immediately. The new layer inherits the properties of the currently selected layer in the layer list (color, on or off state, and so on).

The new layer is created below the last currently selected layer.

New Layer Frozen VP In All Viewports

Creates a new layer and freezes it in all existing layout viewports. This button is accessible from the Model tab or layout tabs.

Delete Layer

Deletes selected layers. You can delete only unreferenced layers. Referenced layers include layers 0 and DEFPOINTS, layers containing objects (including objects in block definitions), the current layer, and xref-dependent layers.

Layers in a partially opened drawing are also considered referenced and cannot be deleted. (Not applicable to AutoCAD LT.)

Note Be careful about deleting layers if you are working on a drawing in a shared project or one based on a set of layering standards.

Set Current

Sets the selected layer as the current layer. Objects that you create are drawn on the current layer. ( CLAYER system variable)

Current Layer

Displays the name of the current layer.

Search for Layer

Filters the layer list by name quickly as you enter characters. This filter is not saved when you close the Layer Properties Manager.

Status Line

Shows the name of the current filter, the number of layers displayed in the list view, 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.

Indicate Layers in Use

Displays icons in the list view to indicate whether layers are in use. In a drawing with many layers, clear this option to improve performance. (SHOWLAYERUSAGE system variable)

Refresh

Refreshes the layer usage information by scanning all the entities in the drawing.

Settings

Displays the Layer Settings dialog box, in which you can set new layer notification settings, if layer filter changes are applied to the Layer toolbar, and change the background color for layer property overrides.

Tree View

Displays a hierarchical list of layers and filters in the drawing.

The top node, All, displays all layers in the drawing. The All Used Layers filter is read-only. Filters are always displayed in alphabetical order.

In the tree view pane, you can

• Expand a node (the + button) to see nested filters. Right-click a property filter New Properties Filter to open the Layer Filter Properties dialog box and view the definition of the filter.
• Click the buttons control the display of the Layer Filters pane.
• When the Layer Filter pane is collapsed, use the Layer Filter flyout button () adjacent to Layer Filter status text to display a list of filters.

Additional filters are displayed under the following circumstances:

• If there are xrefs attached to the drawing, an xref node displays the names of all the xrefs in the drawing and the layers in each xref. Layer filters defined in xref files are not displayed.
• If there are layers that contain property overrides, a Viewport Overrides node displays those layers and the properties that contain overrides. The Viewport Overrides filter is displayed 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 (depending on how the LAYERNOTIFY system variable is set), an Unreconciled New Layers filter displays new layers that need to be reconciled.

Tree View 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 when you use HIDE.
• Off. Objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects when you use HIDE. The drawing is not regenerated when you turn the layer on.
• Thawed. Objects on the layer are displayed and plotted, and hide other objects when you use HIDE.
• Frozen. Objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects when you use HIDE. 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 when you use HIDE. 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 when you use HIDE. This option does not thaw layers that are set to Off or Frozen in the drawing.

Isolate Group

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

• All Viewports. In all layout viewports, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not in the selected filter. In model space, freezes all layers that are not in the selected filter, with the exception of the current layer.
• 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, with the exception of the current layer.

New Properties Filter

Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a new layer filter based on layer names and settings; for example, on or off, color, or linetype.

New Group Filter

Creates a new layer group filter named GROUP FILTER1 and adds it to the tree view. Enter a new name. Select the All filter or any other layer filter in the tree view to display layers in the list view, and then drag layers from the list view into the new layer group filter in the tree view.

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.

Rename

Renames the selected filter. Enter a new name.

Delete

Deletes the selected layer filter. You cannot delete the All, All Used Layers, or Xref filters. This option deletes the layer filter but not the layers in the filter.

Properties

Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can modify the definition of the selected layer property filter. This option is available only when a layer property filter is selected.

Select Layers

Temporarily closes the Layer Filter Properties dialog box so that you can select objects in the drawing. This option is available only when a layer group filter is selected.

• Add. Adds the layers of the selected objects to the layer group filter that is selected in the tree view.
• Replace. Replaces the layers of the selected layer group filter with the layers of the objects that are selected in the drawing.

List View

Displays layers and layer filters and their properties and descriptions.

If a layer filter is selected in the tree view, the list view displays only the layers in that layer filter. The All filter in the tree view 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 list view 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 ZOOM, PAN, and many other operations; improve object selection performance; and reduce regeneration time for complex drawings.

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

In drawings that support 3D modeling, they are not rendered. (Not applicable to AutoCAD LT.)

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. When transparency is applied to individual objects, the objects’ transparency property overrides the transparency setting of the layer. Clicking the Trasparency value displays the Layer Transparency dialog box.

Plot Style

Changes the plot style associated with the selected layers. If you are working with color-dependent plot styles (the PSTYLEPOLICY system variable is set to 1), you cannot change the plot style associated with a layer. Clicking the plot style displays the Select Plot Style dialog box.

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 active layout viewport.

VP Linetype (available only from a layout tab)

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

VP Lineweight (available only from a layout tab)

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

VP Transparency (available only from a layout tab)

Sets an override for transparency associated with the selected layer for the active 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 active 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. If you are working with color-dependent plot styles (the PSTYLEPOLICY system variable is set to 1), you cannot set a plot style override.

Description

(Optional) Describes the layer or the layer filter.

List View Shortcut Menus

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