2004

178 | Chapter 14 Control the Properties of Objects
Copy Layers from Another Drawing
You can use DesignCenter
™
to copy layers from any drawing to another by
dragging. For example, you might have a drawing that contains all the stan-
dard layers needed for a project. You can create a new drawing and use
DesignCenter to drag the predefined layers to the new drawing, which saves
you time and ensures consistency between drawings.
You can also drag layers or copy layers by double-clicking or by choosing
Insert from the shortcut menu.
Note You need to resolve duplicate layer names before you drag layers from
DesignCenter.
Select a Layer to Draw On
As you draw, AutoCAD places newly created objects on the current layer. The
current layer may be the default layer (0) or a layer you create and name
yourself. You switch from one layer to another by making a different layer
current, and any subsequent objects you create are associated with the new
current layer and use its color and linetype. You cannot make a layer the
current layer if it is frozen or if it is an xref-dependent layer.
Remove Layers
You can remove unused layers from your drawing with
PURGE or by deleting
the layer from the Layer Properties Manager. Layer 0 is the default layer for
all drawings and cannot be removed.
To create a new layer
1 On the Layers toolbar, click the Layer Properties Manager button.
2 In the Layer Properties Manager, choose New.
AutoCAD automatically adds a layer name, such as
LAYER1, to the layer
list.
3 Enter a new layer name by typing over the highlighted layer name.
A layer name can include up to 255 characters: letters, digits, and the spe-
cial characters dollar sign ($), hyphen (-), and underscore (_). Layer names
cannot include blank spaces.
4 To change the properties, click the Color, Linetype, or Lineweight column
and select new settings.
5 To expand the Layer Properties Manager and display more details about
the selected layer, choose Details.
6 Choose OK.