LESSON 6. LAYERS, COLORS, AND LINETYPES
General Objective: The students demonstrate the skills in applying layers to control the
appearance, editing and plotting of the drawing entities.
Specific Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. describe Layers.
2. explain the advantages of using Layers.
3. discuss the procedure in adding Layers to the drawing.
4. apply Layers to the drawing.
5. demonstrate the ability to organize drawings through Layers, hence, promote
speed and accuracy in producing output.
Pre-test:
Research on Alphabet of Lines
Learning Concepts:
Layers
Layers are the equivalent of the overlays used in paper-based drafting.
Every layer has an associated color and line type. Layers are the primary
organizational tool used in drawing. You use layers to group information
by function and to enforce linetype, color, and other standards.
Figure 44 Sample Layer
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Advantages of Layers
1. Control objects by locking and unlocking layers so they are not accidentally
modified.
2. Selective printing.
3. Create as many layers as you want.
4. Isolate layers and objects with the same properties in the drawing space. For
example, you want to show only walls and hide all doors.
5. Change the visibility of drawing layouts.
6. Turn on or off, freeze or thaw layers in model space or in the viewport layouts
in paper space.
7. Globally change the object properties.
You can create and name a layer for each conceptual grouping (such as
walls or dimensions) and assign common properties to those layers. By grouping
objects into layers, you can control their display and make changes quickly and
efficiently.
The number of layers you can create in a drawing and the number of
objects you can create per layer are virtually unlimited. Layers are usually
dedicated to each conceptual grouping (such as walls or dimensions). Layers
can have alphanumeric names up to 255 characters long. In many cases, the
layer names you choose are dictated by corporate, industry, or client standards.
Capabilities of Layers
Off - objects in layer turned Off are invisible onscreen or in plotting
but included in REGENeration. Use On to restore visibility.
Freeze - same effect using Off, does not display, plot, or regenerate
objects on frozen layers but it will speed up Zoom, Pan, and other
display commands; improve object selection performance; and
reduce regeneration time for complex drawings. Use Thaw
to restore frozen layers.
Lock - you cannot edit the objects on a locked layer; however, they
are still visible if the layer is On and Thawed. You can add objects to it.
Use Unlock to restore.
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Linetype - is a repeating pattern of dashes, dots, and blank spaces displayed
in a line or a curve. You assign Linetypes to objects either by layer or by
specifying
the LInetype explicitly, independent of layers.
Lineweight - Using Lineweight, you can create heavy and thin lines to
show
cuts in sections, depth in elevations, dimension lines and tick marks, and
differences in details. For example, by assigning varying Lineweights to
different layers, you can easily differentiate between new, existing, and
demolition construction. Lineweights are not displayed unless the Lwt button
on the status bar is selected.
Learning Activities:
Let Us Create a Layer!
Steps to Create a Layer:
1. Type Layer in the command line or select
from the layer toolbar.
2. By default, AutoCAD* will name the layer “layer1”.
3. Double click and rename it.
Figure 45 Renaming a Layer
A layer name can include up to 255 characters: letters, digits, and the
special characters dollar sign ($), hyphen (-), and underscore ( _ ).
Use a reverse quote (`) before other special characters so that the
characters are not interpreted as wild-card characters. Layer names
cannot include blank spaces.
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4. In the right column you can assign color, line type to the layer, freeze or
thaw it.
5. Select the object in the drawing to which the layer will be assigned.
6. Click on the layer icon bar and select the appropriate layer.
Figure 46 Applying Layers
Hands-on Activity 1:
1. Draw a 15 cm ø circle with an inscribed pentagon. On the inscribed
pentagon, draw a five-pointed star.
2. A smaller inverted pentagon is created at the center of the star. From
that smaller pentagon, draw an inscribed circle.
3. Create Layers based on the given specifications.
Refer to the table below the Layer Specifications.
Table 1 Layer Specifications
Module 4 Basic and Advanced AutoCAD *AutoCAD 2006 by AUTODESK
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Hands-On Activity 2:
1. Open the Floor Plan created previously and apply the layers specified in the
table below.
Name
Color
Linetype
Lineweight
Door
40
continuous
0.25 mm
Door Jamb
35
continuous
0.18 mm
Wall
151
continuous
0.35 mm
Window
40
continuous
0.13 mm
BEDROOM
KITCHEN
DINING ROOM
T&B
LIVING ROOM
BEDROOM
PROPOSED FLOOR PLAN
SCALE
1:100 MTS.
Figure 47 Before Applying the Layers
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PROPOSED FLOOR PLAN
SCALE
1:100 MTS
Figure 48 After Applying the Layers
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References:
Books:

Barba, J. A. Simple AutoCAD1 for Beginners.Legaspi City: Andes Mountain
Printers. 2006.
Electronic sources:

http://www.2learncad.com/tutorials_video.html
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