Anyone who has used CAD should know that CAD has layer tools, but some people are not particularly clear about the concept and function of layers. As a management tool, the purpose of layer setting is to help you manage complex graphics data more effectively. If you can understand the related functions of the layer more comprehensively, it will definitely help you.
Layers can organize complex graphics data in an orderly manner. By setting the characteristics of the layer, you can control the color, line type, line width of the graphics, whether it is displayed, whether it can be modified, whether it is printed, etc., and the types can be similar Objects are allocated on the same layer. For example, placing text and labels on separate layers can facilitate the overall setting and modification of text and labels.
1. Set the layer reasonably
Various professional softwares such as construction and machinery predefine many layers. When drawing graphics, the graphics are automatically placed on the corresponding layers. Some design units have formulated unified layer definitions and provided them for internal management or collaborative design. Standard template file, so many designers don't have to set the layer by themselves. If there is no such condition, some designers do not have the habit of setting layers and will draw all layers on the default 0 layer; even with the above conditions, due to insufficient understanding of the layers, sometimes the graphics will be placed on the wrong map. Layers, resulting in incorrect graphics display or printing effect.
Sharpening the knife without accidentally cutting wood, setting up layers reasonably and fully understanding the functions of the layers will effectively improve drawing efficiency.
2. Set the current layer
When drawing, CAD will create new objects in the current layer. When you only use the CAD platform to draw graphics without using professional software functions, please check whether the current layer settings displayed in the layer toolbar are correct. It should be noted that when an object is selected, the layer toolbar displays the layer where the object is located, and this layer may not be the current layer. The layer displayed in the layer toolbar will change with the selected object, and it will not change if the current layer is not reset. There are two common methods for setting the current layer:
1. Select the layer name in the drop-down list of the layer toolbar. This method is suitable when there are fewer layers and the layer definition is clear.
2. After selecting a graphic, click the "Set the current object layer as current" button, or click this button and then select a graphic. The object that is on the same layer as the graphic to be drawn is selected. It is suitable for drawings with many layers, the layer name is not very clear, but the graph classification is relatively clear.
If you are familiar with the layer name and the keyboard operation is very familiar, you may wish to use the command clayer to set the current layer. If you use it frequently, setting a shortcut key should also be quick.
3. Switch, freeze and lock the layer
By setting the visibility of the layer, the graphics can be simplified, and the operation and display efficiency can be improved; by locking the layer, some graphics can be prevented from being accidentally modified.
Phenomenally, the effects of switching and freezing are similar, and both can control the visibility of graphics. In fact, the two display data processing is different, we don't need to care about these, as long as we understand the purpose of the two.
The difference with the switch is that the freeze is associated with the viewport. There are "all viewports freeze", "current viewport freezes" and "new viewport freezes". All viewport freezes have the same effect as switches. "Current viewport freeze" and "New viewport freeze" will only be activated when entering the layout space, which means that these two functions are only applied to the viewport of the layout space. By freezing different layers in different viewports, different graphics can be displayed in different layouts or different viewports, which is not possible with the layer switch.
Fourth, the Defpoints layer
Why should I talk about this layer separately? The reason is that this layer, like layer 0, is a layer automatically generated by the CAD platform, and has special characteristics. Many designers have caused a lot of troubles because of the graphics placed on this layer.
As long as the label has been created, AutoCAD, Haochen CAD, etc. will automatically create the Defpoints layer, which is used to place the definition points of the label. What is the definition point of labeling? In fact, there are several key points on the label, which are used to define and adjust the label. When the "Node" option is turned on during object capture, the snapped label node is the definition point.
The particularity of Defpoints is not that it is automatically created by CAD, but that this layer is set to "not print" by default, and this setting cannot be changed in the layer manager. This is in AutoCAD or Haochen CAD. it's the same. If you accidentally place graphics on this layer, these graphics will definitely disappear when printing. If you simply place some independent graphics on this layer, you can directly select these graphics and then select a new layer and move them to other layers. I have seen that most of the graphics in a picture of a designer are placed on the Defpoints layer, and these graphics have been made into blocks or even multiple nested blocks. Most of the graphics are blank when printed. At a loss, it took a lot of effort to find out the reason.
Five, layer filter
When there are many layers, the layer filter can be used to display the layers that meet the conditions in the layer manager, reducing the time to find and modify layer settings.
Six, layer tools
In addition to the layer manager and layer toolbar, CAD also provides a series of layer tools, which can more easily switch, freeze, lock, and merge layers. The more commonly used are layer isolation and layer roaming.
The layer isolation function can close other layers except the selected object by selecting the graph, which can simplify the graph display very quickly. This operation method is more intuitive and convenient than setting in the layer manager, and it can be accessed through Select multiple objects while keeping several layers open and close other layers.
In layer roaming, you can set the switch of the layer interactively, and the display of graphics will change with the selected layer. Use this tool to browse the graphics on each layer, and you can also select one or more layers to be displayed in the layer list.
The above are the tips for using CAD layer tools. You can check whether you can improve when you use CAD. If you have unique insights, you are also welcome to share.