Exercise | Work with Layers

In this exercise, you freeze and thaw layers and lock and unlock them. You create new layers, set the current layer, and create new geometry on the current layer.

The completed exercise

1. Open M_Create-Layers.dwg.
2. Study the drawing, paying particular attention to the color and linetype of the objects. Turn the Dimensions layer off to make it easier to view and make changes to the geometry in the drawing:
   • On the Home tab, click Layers panel > Layer Control list.
   • Click the Sun icon to freeze the Dimensions layer. The icon changes from a sun to a snowflake indicating that the layer is frozen.

     

3. To make the hidden layer current:
   • On the Home tab, click Layers panel > Layer Control list.
   • Select Hidden to set it as the current layer.

     

4. Zoom into the area shown and draw lines on the Hidden layer:
   • Using the Line command, create a line from point 1 to point 2 and another from point 3 to point 4 as shown in the following illustration.
   • Make sure you are snapping to the exact endpoint or intersection on the existing objects.

     

5. Draw a line on the Center layer across the center of the object as indicated below:
   • Zoom out so that the entire drawing is displayed, then zoom into the area shown below.
   • On the Home tab, click Layers panel > Layer Control list. Select the Center layer.
   • Start the Line command.
   • Acquire the 180 degree quadrant point of the large circle and drag your cursor to the left along the extension path.
   • In the dynamic input field, enter 5. Press ENTER.

     

   • Drag your cursor outside the large circle to the right along the extension path.
   • In the Dynamic Input field, enter 85. Press ENTER.
   • Press ENTER again to end the Line command.

     

6. To create another line across the center of the object:
   • Press ENTER to repeat the Line command.
   • Acquire the 270 degree quadrant point of the large circle and drag your downward along the extension path.
   • In the Dynamic Input field, enter 5. Press ENTER.

     

   • Drag your cursor outside and above the large circle along the extension path.
   • In the Dynamic Input field, enter 85. Press ENTER.
   • Press ENTER again to end the Line command.

     

7. Use the Rotate command to rotate both centerlines 30 degrees. Use the center of the large circle as the base point for the rotation.

   

8. Thaw the Dimension Layer:
   • On the Home tab, click Layers panel > Layer Control list.
   • Click the snowflake icon to thaw the Dimensions layer.
   • Zoom out to the extents of your drawing.
9. To observe object properties in the Layer Control list:
   • With the command line blank, click any dimension.
   • Notice that the Dimensions layer appears in the Layer Control list.

     

   • Press ESC so that the command line is blank.
   • Move your cursor over any object on the Visible layer as shown below. Notice the padlock symbol that is displayed. Objects on the visible layer are locked and cannot be modified, however, you may add more geometry to any locked layer.

     

   • Select an object on the Visible layer and notice how the layer name displays in the Layer Control list.
   • Select any other object, such as a dimension, and notice that now the Layer Control field is blank. Because the list cannot display multiple properties at once, this indicates the objects that you selected are on different layers.
   • Press ESC to deselect all objects.
10. Try to move some of the objects including ones which are on a locked layer:
    • Start the Move command.
    • Select all of the objects in the auxiliary view. Press ENTER.
    • Click any point on the drawing. Enter 25. Press TAB.
    • In the Angle field, enter 30. Press TAB.
    • Click anywhere in the drawing to complete the Move command. Notice that some of the objects did not move.
    • Undo the Move command.

      

11. This time you will move the objects again, but first you unlock the layer that some of these objects are on:
    • On the Home tab, click Layers panel > Layer Control list. Click the padlock icon on the Visible layer. Note that the padlock changes from a closed lock to an open lock indicating that the layer is unlocked.
    • Repeat the Move command from the previous step. Notice how all of the objects are moved.
    • Relock the visible layer.
12. To create a new layer:
    • On the Home tab, click Layers panel > Layer Properties.
    • In the Layer Name field, click Visible. The properties of layer Visible are used as the default properties for the new layer.
    • In the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, click New Layer (1).
    • In the Layer Name field (2), enter Title Block.

      

    • Click the Color field (3) and select White.

      

13. To add another layer:
    • Click New Layer again.
    • In the Layer Name field, enter Viewport.
    • Click the Color field and select Cyan. Click OK.
    • Click in the Plot field. This sets the Viewport layer to nonplotting.
    • Click the layer Title Block.
    • Right-click. Click Set Current.
    • Click the X to close the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.

      

14. Zoom out to the extents of your drawing.
15. To create a rectangular border:
    • Start the Rectangle command.
    • Enter 0,0. Press ENTER.
    • Right-click. Click Dimensions.
    • Enter 400 for the length. Press ENTER.
    • Enter 277 for the width. Press ENTER.
    • Click anywhere near the Auxiliary view to complete the command.

      

16. Close all files. Do not save.