Layer States
Named layer states allow you to quickly restore saved Layer settings. Access the Layer States Manager dialog from the Layer dialog.
Click the New... button, to create a named "snapshot" of all the current layer settings. This snapshot includes the current viewport layer visibility status.
Use the Restore button to restore the desired settings of the selected named layer state. Check on the layer properties you wish to restore from the selected saved layer state. You can turn off layers not found in layer state to ensure that layers added after the layer state was saved are not displayed, giving you the exact look of the drawing when the layer state was created.
Layer states are stored within the drawing but can be exported for use in other drawings. Note that Xref layers are also saved in layer states. Xref layers have the name form:
xref_name¦layer_name
Because the reference name is part of the layer name, fully restoring layer states from one drawing to another is possible only if they share identical references.
Quick Note on this Tip:
WARNING! Extreme Techno-Babble.
The AutoCAD Express Tool LMAN (Layer Manager) introduced back in Release 14 has heretofore been the method for saving layer states. This tool, while still part of the Express Tools package, is obsolete and it is recommended that it not be used. Use the layer states built into the AutoCAD Layer command instead. The technical reason for this is in the efficiency and reliability of the underlying code. The new layer states are stored as discreet entries in a dictionary (non-graphical object). The old LMAN layer states are stored as extended entity data attached to the Layers. This can make purging layers impossible until first deleting the saved layer states and purging the LMAN application (RAK).
posted by Ward Romberger @ 12:43 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Ward,
Have you seen any tools or methods that make it possible to quickly change layer states without going through 2 layers of dialog boxes? A drop-down menu on a toolbar would be great for drawings with many layer states that one wants to browse through.
Jen,
Autodesk hasn't put together a drop down of saved layer states yet (perhaps someday); however, if you use standard layer state names, you can cobble together command tools on a tool palette to quickly restore layer states.
Name your command tools something like
Restore Floor Plan
Restore Ceiling Plan
Restore whatever
Then change the Command string under the command tool's Properties to read:
^C^C_-Layer;A;R;name;;;
where name is the name of the layer state to restore. The A and R are options to the Layer command and the semi-colons represent enters.
I have a query about drawing 2d sections from 2d plans - what is the easiest way to do this? I usually have to copy all the floor plans to another area, line them up according to the section i need, and then using extension lines, i start drawing the section. this is not only messy but also the section plans does not reflect changes in the original plan easily. What do you suggest?
This is something interesting I come to know with the help of your post. I am going to apply these settings. I think this is very easy way to modularize things. Those who are not aware of layer states can read this post.
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