2011

Table Of Contents
Control Transparency on Layers
Set the transparency of layers and layout viewports to enhance drawings by
reducing the visibility of all object on specific layers as needed. Set layer (or
layout viewport) transparency in the Layer Properties Manager.
After you apply transparency to a layer, all objects added to that layer are
created at the same level of trasparency. The transparency property for all
objects on the layer is set to ByLayer.
Assign a Default Color and Linetype to a Layer
Each layer has associated properties such as color, linetype, and transparency
that are assumed by all objects on that layer when the setting is ByLayer. For
example, if the Color control on the Properties toolbar is set to BYLAYER, the
color of new objects is determined by the color setting for the layer in the
Layer Properties Manager.
If you set a specific color in the Color control, that color is used for all new
objects, overriding the default color for the current layer. The same is true for
the Linetype, Lineweight, and Plot Style controls on the Properties toolbar.
The BYBLOCK setting should be used only for creating blocks. See
Control
the Color and Linetype Properties in Blocks
on page 674.
Override Layer Properties in a Layout Viewport
Some layer properties can be changed using overrides on a viewport basis in
layouts. Using layer property overrides is an efficient way to display objects
with different property settings for color, linetype, lineweight, transparency,
and plot style. Layer property overrides are applied to the current layout
viewport.
For example, if you want objects on the Electrical layer to display prominently
in one of two layout viewports, you set a Color override on the Electrical layer
for each of the two viewports. By setting the color red for one viewport and
gray for the other, you easily accomplish this objective without changing the
global color property assigned to the layer. See Override Layer Properties in
Viewports
on page 325 for more information.
Lock the Objects on a Layer
When a layer is locked, none of the objects on that layer can be modified until
you unlock the layer. Locking layers reduces the possibility of modifying
objects accidentally. You can still apply object snaps to objects on a locked
layer and perform other operations that do not modify those objects.
314 | Chapter 14 Control the Properties of Objects