Layer Properties Manager

Quick Reference

See Also

Displays a list of the layers in the drawing and their properties.

Access Methods

Button

Ribbon: Home tab

Layers panel

Layer Properties Manager

Menu: Format

LayerNot available in menus in the current workspace

Toolbar: Layer

Command entry: layer (or 'layer for transparent use)

Summary

You can add, delete, and rename layers, change their properties, set property overrides for layout viewports, or add layer descriptions and apply changes in realtime. You do not need to click Ok or Apply to view property changes. Layer filters control which layers are displayed in the list and can also be used to make changes to more than one layer at a time.

When switching space (model space to layout space or layout to viewport), the Layer Properties Manager is updated and displays the current state of the layer properties and filter selection in the current space.

List of Options

The following options are displayed.

New Property Filter: Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a layer filter based on one or more properties of the layers.
New Group Filter: Creates a layer filter that contains layers that you select and add to the filter.
Layer States Manager: Displays the Layer States Manager, in which you can save the current property settings for layers in a named layer state and then restore those settings later.
New Layer: Creates a new layer. The list displays a layer named LAYER1. The name is selected so that you can enter a new 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).

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.

NoteBe 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. Objects that you create are drawn on the current layer. (CLAYER system variable)
Current Layer: Displays the name of the current layer.
Search for Layer: Filters the layer list by name quickly as you enter characters. This filter is not saved when you close the Layer Properties Manager.
Status Line: 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 property filter.
Indicate Layers in Use: Displays icons in the list view to indicate whether layers are in use. In a drawing with many layers, clear this option to improve performance. (SHOWLAYERUSAGE system variable)
Refresh: Refreshes the layer usage information by scanning all the entities in the drawing.
Settings: Displays the Layer Settings dialog box, in which you can set new layer notification settings, if layer filter changes are applied to the Layer toolbar, and change the background color for layer property overrides.
Apply: Applies changes that have been made to layers and filters but does not close the dialog box.

The Layer Properties Manager has the following two panes:

Tree View

Displays a hierarchical list of layers and filters in the drawing. The top node, All, displays all layers in the drawing. Filters are displayed in alphabetical order. The All Used Layers filter is read-only.

Expand a node to see nested filters. Double-click a property filter to open the Layer Filter Properties dialog box and view the definition of the filter.

The Hide/Show Layer Filters button controls the display of the Layer Filters pane of the Layer Properties Manager. When the Layer Filter pane is collapsed, the Layer Filter button is displayed adjacent to Layer Filter status text. The Layer Filter button gives you access to the filters when the full Layer Filter pane is closed.

If there are xrefs attached to the drawing, an xref node displays the names of all the xrefs in the drawing and the layers in each xref. Layer filters defined in xref files are not displayed.

If there are layers that contain property overrides, a Viewport Overrides node is automatically created and displays those layers and the properties that contain overrides. The Viewport Overrides filter displays 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 how the LAYERNOTIFY system variable is set), an Unreconciled New Layers filter is automatically created and displays new layers that need to be reconciled.

Tree View Shortcut Menu

Provides commands for items selected in the tree view.

Visibility

Changes the visibility state of all the layers in the selected filter (or All or All Used Layers, if selected).

On: Objects on the layer are displayed, plotted, and regenerated and hide other objects when you use HIDE.
Off: Objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects when you use HIDE. The drawing is not regenerated when you turn the layer on.
Thawed: Objects on the layer are displayed and plotted, and hide other objects when you use HIDE.
Frozen: Objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects when you use HIDE. The drawing is regenerated when you thaw the layer.

Lock

Controls whether the objects on the layers in the selected filter can be modified.

Lock: None of the objects on the layer can be modified. You can still apply object snaps to objects on a locked layer and perform other operations that do not modify those objects.
Unlock: Objects on the layer can be modified.

Viewport

In the current layout viewport, controls the VP Freeze setting of the layers in the selected layer filter. This option is not available for model space viewports.

Freeze: Sets VP Freeze for layers in the filter. In the current viewport, objects on the layer are not displayed and not plotted but do hide other objects when you use HIDE. The drawing is regenerated when you thaw the layer.
Thaw: Clears VP Freeze for layers in the filter. In the current viewport, objects on the layer are displayed and plotted and hide other objects when you use HIDE. This option does not thaw layers that are set to Off or Frozen in the drawing.

Isolate Group

Turns off all layers not in the selected filter. The layers that are visible are the layers in the filter.

All Viewports: In all viewports in a layout, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not in the selected filter. In model space, turns off all layers that are not in the selected filter.
Active Viewport Only: In the current layout viewport, sets VP Freeze for all layers that are not in the selected filter. In model space, turns off all layers that are not in the selected filter.

New Properties Filter

Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a new layer filter based on layer names and settings; for example, on or off, color, or linetype.

New Group Filter

Creates a new layer group filter named GROUP FILTER1 and adds it to the tree view. 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. Changing the properties of the layers in a layer group filter has no effect on the filter.

Rename

Renames the selected filter. Enter a new name.

Delete

Deletes the selected layer filter. You cannot delete the All, All Used Layers, or Xref filters. This option deletes the layer filter but not the layers in the filter.

Properties

Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can modify the definition of the selected layer property filter. This option is available only when a layer property filter is selected.

Select Layers

Temporarily closes the Layer Filter Properties dialog box so that you can select objects in the drawing. This option is available only when a layer group filter is selected.

Add: Adds the layers of the selected objects to the layer group filter that is selected in the tree view.
Replace: Replaces the layers of the selected layer group filter with the layers of the objects that are selected in the drawing.

List View

Displays layers and layer filters and their properties and descriptions.

If a layer filter is selected in the tree view, the list view 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.
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 speed up ZOOM, PAN, and many other operations; improve object selection performance; and reduce regeneration time for complex drawings.

Objects on frozen layers are not displayed, plotted, hidden, rendered, or regenerated.

Freeze the layers you want to be 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 (thePSTYLEPOLICY 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.
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.
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 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 Menu

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 tree view. Clear this option to hide the tree view.
Show Filters in Layer List: Displays filters at the top of the list view. The filters are listed in alphabetical order. Clear the check mark to display only layers in the list view.
Set Current: Sets the selected layer as the current layer. (CLAYER system variable)
New Layer: Creates a new layer. The list displays a layer named LAYER1. You can edit this 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: Renames the layer.
Delete Layer: Deletes selected layers from the drawing file definition. 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.

NoteBe 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 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 group layer filter that is selected in the tree view.
Reconcile Layer: Removes new layers from the Unreconciled New Layers filter. Available only when one or more unreconciled layers is 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 on the layout tab.
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.
Select All: Selects everything displayed in the list view.
Clear All: Removes selection from all items in the list view except the most recently selected layer or filter.
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 list view.
Save Layer States: Displays the dialog box, in which you save the layer state and layer property settings of all layers in a drawing.
Restore Layer State: Displays the Layer States Manager, in which you can select a named layer state to restore settings of all layers in the drawing. Restores only those layer state and property settings that were selected when the named layer state was saved.