Layer Properties Manager
Displays a list of the layers in the drawing and their properties.
You can add, delete, and rename layers, change their properties, set property overrides
in layout viewports, and add layer descriptions. The Layer Property Manager includes
a Filters panel and a layer list panel. Layer filters control which layers are displayed
in the layer list, and can also be used to make changes to several layers at a time.
The Layer Properties Manager is alway updated and displays the current state of the
layer properties and filter selection in the current space: model space, a paper space
layout, or in model space in a layout viewport.
List of Options
The following options are displayed.
- Current Layer
-
Displays the name of the current layer.
The current layer is displayed in the top-left corner of the Layer Properties Manager.
The current layer is also indicated by a green check mark in the layer list. - Search for Layer
-
Filters the layer list by name as you enter characters in the box.
Search for Layer is located in the top-right corner of the Layer Properties Manager.
- New Property Filter
-
Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a layer filter
based on layer settings and properties. - New Group Filter
-
Creates a layer filter that contains layers that you select and drag to the filter.
- Layer States Manager
-
Displays the Layer States Manager, where you can save the current property settings
for layers in a layer state and then restore those settings later. - New Layer
-
Creates a new 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.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. New objects are automatically created
on the current layer. (CLAYER system variable) - Status Line – Located at the bottom of the Layer Properties Manager
-
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 filter.
- Indicate Layers in Use
-
Displays icons in the list view to indicate whether layers are in use. (SHOWLAYERUSAGE
system variable)In a drawing with many layers, clear this option to improve performance.
- Refresh
-
Refreshes the order of the layer list and the layer status information.
- Settings
-
Displays the Layer Settings dialog box, where you can set various display options.
Filters Pane
Displays a hierarchical list of layer filters in the drawing, which control the layers
listed in the Layer Properties Manager. The top node, All, lists all the layers in
the drawing.
In the Filters pane, you can do the following operations:
- Expand a node 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 Filters pane.
- When the Filters pane is collapsed, use the Layer Filter button () at the bottom-left corner of the Layer Properties Manager to display a list of filters.
Additional layer 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 their layers. Layer filters defined in xref files are
not displayed. Additionally, an All non-Xref Layers node displays the names of all
layers that are not referenced from other drawings. - 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 the LAYERNOTIFY system variable), an Unreconciled New
Layers filter displays new layers that need to be reconciled.
Filters Shortcut Menu
Provides commands to be applied to the layers included in the filters you select in
the Filters pane, including the All and All Used Layers filters.
- Visibility
-
Changes the visibility state of the layers in the selected filters.
- Lock
-
Controls lock state of the layers in the selected filters.
- Viewport
-
In the current layout viewport, controls the VP Freeze setting of the layers in the selected filters.
- Isolate Group
-
Freezes all layers that are not included in the selected filters.
- All Viewports. In all layout viewports, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not included in the
selected filters. In model space, freezes all layers that are not in the selected
filter, with the exception of the current layer. - Current Viewport Only. In the current layout viewport, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not included
in the selected filters. In model space, turns off all layers that are not included
the selected filters, with the exception of the current layer.
- All Viewports. In all layout viewports, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not included in the
- New Properties Filter
-
Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a new layer
property filter based on layer names and layer property settings such as color and
plot style. - New Group Filter
-
Creates a new layer group filter. 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.
- Rename
-
Renames the selected layer filter.
- Delete
-
Removes the selected layer filter. You cannot delete the All, All Used Layers, or
Xref layer filters. - Properties
-
Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can modify the definitions
of selected layer property filters. This option is available only when a layer property
filter is selected. - Select Layers
-
Adds or replaces layers in the selected layer group filter. This option is available
only when a layer group filter is selected.- Add. Adds layers to the selected layer group filter from the objects selected in the drawing.
- Replace. Replaces the layers of the selected layer group filter with the layers of the objects
that are selected in the drawing.
Layer List Pane
Displays layers and layer filters and their properties and descriptions.
If a layer filter is selected in the Filters pane, the layer list pane 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.
— Layer is the current one
— Layer is in use
— Layer is not in use
— Layer is in use, and a property override is turned on in a layout viewport
— Layer is not in use, and a property override is turned on in a layout viewport
NOTE:To improve performance, this column is turned off by default, displaying the icon instead. - 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 improve performance and reduce regeneration time in 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.)TIP:Freeze the layers that you want to remain 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.
Column Label Shortcut Menu
- 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
-
Maximizes all columns to the width of the column headers and the data content. This
option is available on the shortcut menu that is displayed when you right-click a
column heading. - Maximize Column
-
Changes the width of the column to maximize display of the column content. This option
is available on the shortcut menu that is displayed when you right-click a column
heading. - Optimize all columns
-
Changes the width of all columns to maximize display of the column content. This option
is available on the shortcut menu that is displayed when you right-click a column
heading. - Optimize column
-
Changes the width of a column to maximize display of the column content. This option
is available on the shortcut menu that is displayed when you right-click a column
heading. - Freeze column (or Unfreeze column)
-
Freezes (or unfreezes) the column and any columns to the left. This option is available
on the shortcut menu when you right-click a column heading. - Restore All Columns to Defaults
-
Restores all columns to their default display and width settings. This option is available
on the shortcut menu when you right-click a column heading.
Layer Shortcut Menu
- Show Filter Tree
-
Displays the layer Filters panel. Clear this option to hide the panel.
- Show Filters in Layer List
-
Displays layer filters at the top of the layer list panel. Clear this option to display
only layers in the layer list panel. - Set Current
-
Sets the selected layer as the current layer. (CLAYER system variable)
- New Layer
-
Creates a new layer. You can edit the default 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). - Rename Layer
-
Changes the layer name.
- Delete Layer
-
Deletes selected layers from the drawing file. You can delete only unreferenced layers.
Referenced layers include layers 0, DEFPOINTS, layers containing objects (including
objects in block definitions), the current layer, and xref-dependent layers.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. - Change Description
-
Adds a description or changes the text in the description for the selected layer or,
if layer filters are displayed in the layer list, a layer filter. The description
for a filter is added to the filter and to all layers in the filter. - Remove from Group Filter
-
Removes the selected layers from the layer group filter that is selected in the Filters
panel. - Reconcile Layer
-
Removes new layers from the Unreconciled New Layers filter. This options is available
only when unreconciled layers are selected. - 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 in in layout viewports. - New Layer Frozen in All Viewports
-
Creates a new layer and freezes it in all existing layout viewports and new viewports.
- 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 layer.
- 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 its properties. - Select All
-
Selects everything displayed in the list view.
- Clear All
-
Removes selection from all items in the layer list.
- Select All But Current
-
Selects everything displayed in the list view except the current layer.
- Invert Selection
-
Selects everything displayed in the list view 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. - Save Layer States
-
Saves the current layer settings to a specified layer state.
- Restore Layer State
-
Displays the Layer States Manager, where you can select a layer state to restore.
This operation restores only those layer state and property settings that were specified
in the Layer States Manager when the layer state was saved.
Related References
- Layer Filter Properties Dialog Box (Layer Properties Manager)
- Select Linetype Dialog Box (Layer Properties Manager)
- Lineweight Dialog Box (Layer Properties Manager)
- Layer Transparency Dialog Box (Layer Properties Manager)
- Layer Settings Dialog Box (Layer Properties Manager)
- Customize Layer Columns Dialog Box
- LAYER (Command)
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