How to Add and Modify the Layers in Layer Manager

So let's learn a few things about the layers that I have added here where if we want some modifications as per our requirement or if we want to customize any layers, then we have many options available here such as we have a toolbar here that we can open by clicking here or by typing layer. As you can see here, these are all the layers with some names. Okay. There are many symbols here exactly after the name. so when I double click on any layer, that layer will be on. As you can notice, as I clicked on the centerline, where the layer has turned on and we can see the properties of the centerline here as well. If I double click on chajja, then this layer is on here and we can see the customized color, weight, and type for chajja here. So the layer will be available here when I double click. There Is one more symbol here which helps in turning the layers ON or OFF. Suppose if I turn off the centerline, then the centerline will be deleted from the plan. It is not deleted but hidden. So I can hide or unhide from here. Okay.

 Then the next option is freeze. This means… if I freeze any command or layer, it will be removed from the memory. Okay.

I hope you are able to understand me.

Then the next option is lock. So as I lock any layer, and select the line or make any modifications or changes after selecting some object around it, then those changes will not be applied on the locked layer. So suppose I have locked the centerline right now, and now if I select this line and I want to move this line, it will not move. Why? because here when I am selecting the line, it shows the selected object but there is a lock sign above it which means this object is locked. So this is about lock.

Then the next symbol is the plot. This means that if I want to take out a print or if we want to prepare this drawing into some other layer or a sheet and in that sheet I want to show the furniture only or the walls of the room and the furniture, then while plotting if I select this, it will turn off. Suppose if I select the print option from here,(10 seconds gap) then select window, and I will insert all these objects into the window and then (9seconds gap) PDF and if I preview this, you can observe that the sheet is empty and nothing is visible here, okay. Why? Because I turned off all the options in the plot.

Let us have a look one more time. Suppose I will turn on the plots again here for plotting, so now I have turned on the walls. Again I will click on plot or CONTROL+P. Then I will click on the window and select the portion that I want to print, then PDF and preview. You can see here that the object wall was hidden for the plot, so walls are not visible. Apart from walls, centerline, furniture, windows, and text are visible here. Okay. So we can use this option when we prepare a drawing for plotting or print.

Clear, so far?

As we all know, in civil engineering, when we prepare any drawing with AutoCAD, we insert many things such as furniture, sanitary, electric fittings, hatching, centerlines, and main lines. So if I want to customize here as I want main lines, centerlines and text only, here I will turn off the plot for the layers that I do not want in the grouping that I have done. So here I will be able to see everything but in the plot, I will be shown the things that I require.

Let's have a look again. Here I have turned off all these layers for plotting except the wall. So I will click on the plot again, then I will click the window here, then I want this much portion from here to here, then PDF here, then I want the center to plot and preview. You can see that only the walls are visible here. All the other elements are hidden. Okay. So we can customize print from here. ok?

The next option is color for any specific layers. so we can change that from here. For example, the centerline is yellow, I will change it to pink or magenta and you can see here that the color of the centerlines has changed to magenta, how? So the drawing that I prepared with centerlines was in a fixed layer. So this is an advancement where if we divide a drawing into different groups and design a layer for that group, then when we make any changes, it will be automatically applied to the selected group. Suppose if I don’t have any layers and I prepared this whole drawing in zero layer, the default layer, so for that, I will have to select the individual lines, again and again, then after selecting the lines, I will have to make changes here in the properties such as color, weight and type one by one. This is quite a time-consuming process. To finish our drawing in a limited time, we use layers. then we can change the type from here also directly. I can also change the centerline from here as I want. Then I can also change the weight from here. Okay.

Next is transparency. Transparency means Suppose I have a drawing and I am preparing a layout where I have some specific requirements that these are the few groups that should be in full transparency or visible in full view and the remaining elements should be in a light view, that I can modify from here. For example, the transparency of the centerline is zero right now. I am changing it to 70 and ok. Now you can see that the centerline is dimmed. So by clicking here, I can easily change or modify the transparency of my object from dim to full. I have changed it back to zero, so now I can see the centerline in full view. Okay. So this is transparency. If I change the transparency of furniture from 0 to 50 and click ok, then you can see here that the furniture is dimmed. If I change it back to 0 and click ok, then it will be visible in the previous shade that is zero transparency.

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Next is VP. VP means So there are many elements in my drawing and when I prepare the output or take a printout of that drawing, I want it as it is without any changes. So while plotting when I go to VP options, I have 2 options with the help of which when I turn this on or off, whenever I will do plotting or take out a print, my printout will be available in a different way. We will understand this is a better way when we talk about printouts. ok?

Next is the description. This means if I want to provide any details of the layers that I have prepared, I can add that detailing here. As we are using single lines right now, such as a centerline or mainline that is a wall, we have designed our layers according to that. Suppose if I have a big layout and in that, I am using different types of lines according to the shape, then I can name it as centerline 1, centerline 2, etc. in the description here to differentiate the lines.

I hope you are getting me.

Then here we can see 4 options. The first option is to add a new layer, when I click on it, it is available here as layer 1. Suppose I want to make a layer for road 1 and enter, then I can modify the color, line type, and weight from here as I require. Okay.

The next option is to delete a layer that is in red here. So here I want to delete the road layer, I will select and click here and it will be deleted.

Then the next is set current which means either you can double click on that layer and when you draw a line, it will draw according to that layer. Okay. And the other option is to click on a layer and then click on set current and that layer will be turned on. The first time we double-clicked on doors, if I click here only once, it will not turn on, so if I click here and once and then click here, then it will turn on. Okay. So these are all the options here.

So all these options are available to us.

We have one more thing here. If I want to prepare a group, I can prepare it from here. I can also use any filters from here. Suppose I will click on a new filter here, and type walls, and select the center line in it. So when I double click on walls, and add the filter like status or on, off which means filters that are turned on will be shown. In this manner, we can customize it here. Then freeze or unfreeze, then lock or unlock, then plot or unplot, then I can specify the color as well, and I will click on ok.

I hope you are with me.

 Then I will add one more filter here for furniture. (8 seconds gap) Then I can add any name here, then again on-off. Then freeze or unfreeze, then lock or unlock, then plot or unplot, color, and transparency. So I can add all these options here. Okay. Now when I click on all, I will be able to see all the layers. Then in furniture, I can see the layers according to my customization and then the same for walls. So for walls, I have selected the filters such as it should be on, freeze, lock, and plot. So if I lock any layer from all used layers and freeze it. So now when I click on walls, all the options will be available according to that. Okay. So I can customize here as I am preparing any layout, and add any filters for that particular layout so that it's easy to find that layer and work on and our layer can be prepared in less time. So to complete the process in less time, I can use these options. Okay.

I hope you are able to understand me.

One more thing. We can add the filters from here as well. Okay. So we have already explored this feature but I am showing you again that I can add any filter as per my requirement. Okay. For now, we have very few layers, so when we work in any big drawing, many layers will be available there and if I want to work in a time-saving process in those layers, it will be very easy with the groups and filter option. Okay. So right now you can see, there is no layer in walls as none of the layers matches the requirement here. Then in furniture, we can see many layers as I have not inserted any requirements yet. Suppose I will select all users and then hide a few commands and then I will go to furniture and apply a filter to only show the hidden layers. As you can see 2 layers are available here that I hid earlier. So in this way you can customize. So now if I go to walls, there is no layer. Then when I go to all, each layer is visible. Then in furniture, 2 layers are filtered. So walls, furniture and all used. So in this way, I can customize all this too. Okay.

I hope you are with me.

Then here we have a layer states manager. In this, we can import or export any layers, suppose if I want to use all these layers in a new drawing sheet, here those layers will not be available which means I have to prepare and set each layer again, and then only I can use it. But with layer states manager, we can also use the shortcut key which is alter plus S, so when we enter that, this window will open where I can rename the style as drawing 1, DR, drawing one, then I can import it from here or export as well. As soon as I click on export, I will save this layer on the desktop and I will click on save. So here, if I want any layer, I will have to import that layer. For that again alter + S, then I will click on import as I want to insert a layer. Here the file of our drawing will not be saved as dot DWG but dot L A S, and then I will click on drawing 1 here and then open. So as you can see all the layers are available here. Okay. So in this way, I can save any layer setup or keep it in a different file and then use it when I require it with the help of import or export. Okay.

I hope you are understanding me.

So in today's video, we learned about layers. How to turn on or turn off the layers, then how can I customize any layer and all the options that we have such as hide, unhide. Then we can rename the layers as well, and freeze them too. With freeze, suppose we have a big layout and we are saving it as a drawing and if we freeze any filter there, then it will be removed from the memory. Okay. which means the drawing file will be reduced. So when we prepare a layout and save it with the freeze option, the file size will compress. The next is lock or unlock and if we lock any object, we cannot modify it or make any changes such as delete, move or copy. Then we can also change the color, then line type, line weight. Then plot or unplot which means if we don’t want any object in our layout while printing, we will turn off the plot and we can access that feature from here. Okay.. In the VP, here is in the last, there is an option of new VP, means if we make a layout of it, In the layout, the windows that will be prepared, If I make VP off, things won’t be copied there, It will remain in the old model only where we prepared them.

So today we learned about layers where we used all these commands and then explored filter and layer manager where we saw how to import or export any layer setup.

So in today's video, we learned about layers and working with layers, where we saw how to prepare layers and modify them and make our drawings advanced with layers.

I hope you all will practice this and prepare layers as per your requirement and customize it. During your practice, If you have any queries or comments, click the discussion button below the video and post there. This way, you will be able to connect to fellow learners and discuss the course. Also, Our Team will try to solve your query.

In the next video, we will do some drawing practice 1.

Thank you