CHAPTER 6
Controlling Object Visibility and Appearance

Exercise 6.1: Edit Object Properties

In this exercise, you will explore object properties in an existing drawing and then learn how to change properties and merge the layers to which objects are assigned. Begin by opening the file Ex06.1-start.dwg, which is available for download from the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/autocad2016essentials. Figure 6.1 shows the architectural plan for a small office.

1. Zoom into the reception desk at the center of the small office plan.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to toggle on Quick Properties mode.

   

3. Click the line of the desk immediately adjacent to the Reception text object; the Quick Properties panel appears at the top right of the selected object on the drawing canvas. Click the Desk-High layer name to activate the Layer drop-down menu (see Figure 6.2).

   

4. Open the layer drop-down and observe that the layer in blue is what is currently assigned. Select Desk (see Figure 6.3) in the drop-down, and press the Esc key to exit Quick Properties mode. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to toggle off Quick Properties mode. Observe that the line whose layer property you changed now appears violet, like the other objects on the Desk layer.

   

   

5. Expand the Layers panel and click the Merge tool. The command prompt reads as follows:

   
   LAYMRG Select object on layer to merge or [Name]:
   

6. Click one of the brown lines in the upper portion of the reception desk and press Enter.

7. Click the violet line you changed to the Desk layer in step 5 and press Enter. The command history reads as follows:

   
   Select object on target layer or [Name]:
   ******** WARNING ********
   You are about to merge layer "Desk-High" into layer "Desk".
   Do you wish to continue? [Yes/No] <No>:
   

8. Choose Yes from the dynamic prompt menu. The Desk-High layer is deleted, and the objects that were on it have been reassigned to the Desk layer. The LAYMRG command is done.
9. Type REGEN and press Enter. The display is regenerated.

   

10. Expand the Properties panel and click the List tool. Pan over and select the Business Development text object by clicking it and pressing Enter. The AutoCAD Text window appears, displaying the following property information:

    
    TEXT   Layer: "Title"
    Space: Model space
    Handle = 71e
    Style = "Standard"
    Annotative: No
    Typeface = Arial
    mid point, X=16'-1 7/8"  Y=11'-0 13/16"  Z=    0'-0"
    height 0'-7 1/2"text Business Development
    rotation angle   0
    width scale factor  1.0000
    obliquing angle   0
    generation normal
    

    This list might be helpful if you were looking for a particular piece of information, but you can’t edit any of the properties directly. Close the AutoCAD Text window.

    

    

11. Select the View tab on the ribbon and, on the Palettes panel, click the Properties tool to open the Properties panel.
12. Select the Business Development text object you selected in step 10. Many of its properties appear in the panel (see Figure 6.4). Property values that are editable are displayed on a black background when selected.

    

13. Select the words Business Development in the Contents property, type Marketing, and press Enter. Press Esc to deselect the text object. The department’s name has been changed. You can now close the Properties panel.

Your model should now resemble Ex06.1-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.2: Choose the Current Layer

Begin by opening the file Ex06.2-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Zoom into the manager’s office.

   

2. Select the Home tab on the ribbon. Click the Rectangle tool on the Draw panel, and click a point a few inches (no need to measure) from the lower-left corner of the room. Type @18,72 (or @45,180 for metric) and press Enter to create a credenza in the manager’s office (see Figure 6.5).

   

3. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to toggle on Quick Properties mode. Select the rectangle you drew in the previous step, and change its Layer assignment to Furniture in the Quick Properties window that appears. Press Esc to deselect.
4. If you plan on drawing more than one object, a more efficient approach is to set the current layer before drawing so that the new object will have the proper layer assignment automatically. Open the Layer drop-down menu in the Layers panel, and click on or to the right of the word Furniture to set this layer as current (see Figure 6.6).

   

5. Pan over to the Marketing space.

   

6. Click the Rectangle tool on the Draw panel, and click a point a few inches (without measuring) from the lower-right corner of the room. Type @-18,72 (or @-45,180 for metric) and press Enter to create a credenza in Marketing (see Figure 6.7).

   

7. Select the rectangle you drew in the previous step, and verify that it is on the Furniture layer in the Quick Properties window that appears. Press Esc.
8. Pan over to the closet in Marketing. One of the lines representing shelves is missing. You will draw the missing line on the same layer as the existing shelf line.

   

9. In the Layers panel, click the Make Object’s Layer Current tool. Click the existing shelf line in Marketing’s closet.

   

10. Toggle on Endpoint and Perpendicular running object snap modes on the status bar, if they are not already on.

    

11. Click the Line tool on the Draw panel, and draw the line shown in Figure 6.8. Press Esc to end the LINE command.

    

Your model should now resemble Ex06.2-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.3: Assign Layers

Let’s explore several methods for changing the layer assignments of existing objects. Begin by opening the file Ex06.3-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Type DS and press Enter. Select the Quick Properties tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box and uncheck Display The Quick Properties Palette On Selection (see Figure 6.9). Click OK.

   

2. Select the coffee table in Marketing. Select the Home tab on the ribbon. Notice that the entry in the Layer drop-down in the Layers panel changes to layer 0; this does not mean that layer 0 is current (Millwork is), only that the selected item is on layer 0.
3. Open the Layer drop-down menu in Quick Properties, and click Furniture (see Figure 6.10) to change the layer assignment of the selected items. Press Esc to deselect.

   

4. Pan over to the lounge room.

   

5. Click the Match tool in the Layers panel, select the coffee table in the lounge, and press Enter. The command prompt reads as follows:

   
   LAYMCH Select object on destination layer or [Name]:
   

6. Click one of the sofas in the lounge and press Enter; the LAYMCH command ends. The coffee table is now assigned to the same layer as the sofas (Furniture).
7. Pan to the manager’s office.

   

   

8. Click the Match Properties tool in the Properties panel on the Home tab of the ribbon. Select the credenza in the manager’s office. The command prompt reads as follows:

   
   MATCHPROP Select destination object(s) or [Settings]:
   

9. Click Settings on the command line; the Property Settings dialog box appears. You can match many properties in addition to layers with this tool (see Figure 6.11). Click OK.

   

10. Click the desk in the manager’s office and press Enter; the desk turns green because it is now on the Furniture layer. Press Esc to exit the MATCHPROP command.

Your model should now resemble Ex06.3-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.4: Toggle Layer Status

In addition to having properties such as color, linetype, lineweight, and so on, layers have states that can be toggled, including On/Off, Thaw/Freeze, and Lock/Unlock. As you’ll see in the following steps, layer states control the visibility and editability of the objects assigned to layers. Begin by opening the file Ex06.4-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Expand the Layers panel and click the Turn All Layers On tool. You now see the switches ($ symbols), downlights, and header layers. Figure 6.12 shows the result.

   

   

2. Open the Layer drop-down menu in the Layers panel, and click the Appliance layer’s lightbulb icon to toggle it off. Toggle off the Desk layer as well. Click outside the Layer drop-down menu to close it.

   

3. Click the Off tool in the Layers panel, and click the following objects: furniture, sink, door, toilet, plant, stairs, low wall, low wall’s pattern fill, text, reception desk, and the porch. Click a kitchen cabinet, and the command prompt reads as follows:

   
   LAYOFF Layer "Millwork" is current, do you want to
   turn it off? [Yes/No] <No>:
   

4. Choose Yes from the dynamic prompt. Press Esc to end the LAYOFF command. Figure 6.13 shows the result.

   

5. Open the Layer drop-down menu in the Layers panel and set layer 0 as current.

   

6. Click the Zoom Extents tool in the Navigation bar. Notice that there is a gap between the bottom wall of the building and the lower edge of the drawing canvas.

   

7. Open the Layer drop-down menu in the Layers panel and freeze the Porch layer. Press Esc to close the drop-down menu.

   

8. Click the Zoom Extents tool in the Navigation bar again.

   

9. Click the Lock tool in the Layers panel. Select one of the lights. The Lighting layer is now locked.

10. Type E (for Erase) and press Enter. Click a different light, and observe a tiny padlock appear near the object. You can’t select the object because it is locked.

Your model should now resemble Ex06.4-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.5: Isolate Layers

You can quickly isolate one or more layers to work on them without the visual clutter of all the other layers. Begin by opening the file Ex06.5-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Click the Isolate tool on the Layers panel and then make a crossing selection through one of the windows. Press Enter, and all the other layers disappear (see Figure 6.14).

   

   

2. Expand the Layers panel and click the Copy Objects To New Layer tool. Select each one of the nine sill lines on the inside of the building and press Enter. The command prompt reads as follows:

   
   COPYTOLAYER Select object on destination layer or [Name] <Name>:
   

3. Click Name on the command line. The Copy To Layer dialog box appears (see Figure 6.15). Select Header from the Destination Layer list, click OK, and press Enter.

   

   

4. Click the Unisolate tool on the Layers panel. The layers return to the way they were before you used the Isolate tool.
5. Type LAYOFF and press Enter. Click one of the sills on the outside of the building to turn off the Sill layer and press Enter.

   

6. Zoom into the entry and click the Measure tool in the Utilities panel. Click points A and B shown in Figure 6.16 to measure the wall thickness. The tooltip reads 5" (12.7 in metric). Press Esc.

   

7. Type O (for Offset), press Enter, type 5 (or 12.7 for metric), and press Enter again. Click the header line in the window opening and then click below it to offset a line on the outer edge of the wall.
8. Continue clicking each header and a point outside the building to offset a second header line in each window opening. Press Enter to end the OFFSET command when done. The reflected ceiling plan is complete.

Your model should now resemble Ex06.5-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.6: Save Layer States

In this section, you will learn how to save collections of layer states for later recall. You have already created a reflected ceiling plan in this chapter, and you will now save it as a layer state so that you won’t have to repeat all the work of toggling layer states in the future. Begin by opening the file Ex06.6-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Expand the Layers panel and open the Unsaved Layer State drop-down menu. Select New Layer State in the drop-down menu (see Figure 6.17).

   

2. Type Reflected Ceiling Plan in the New Layer State To Save dialog box and click OK. The closed drop-down now says Reflected Ceiling Plan.

   

3. Click the Turn All Layers On tool.

   

4. Click the adjacent Thaw All Layers tool.

   

5. Click the Freeze tool in the Layers panel, and select the following objects: light, switch, header, and computer. The layers Lighting, Electrical, Header, and Equipment are frozen. Press Enter to end the LAYFRZ command.
6. Expand the Layers panel, open the Layer State drop-down menu in the Layers panel, and click New Layer State. Type Furniture Plan in the New Layer State To Save dialog box and click OK.

7. Open the Layer State drop-down menu, and select Reflected Ceiling Plan (see Figure 6.18). All the layer states associated with the Reflected Ceiling Plan are immediately toggled.

   

Your model should now resemble Ex06.6-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.7: Use Linetype

Begin by opening the file Ex06.7-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Open the Linetype drop-down menu in the Properties panel and select Other at the bottom of the menu (see Figure 6.19).

   

2. In the Linetype Manager dialog box that appears, click the Load button. Scroll down in the Load Or Reload Linetypes dialog box that appears and select Hidden in the list (see Figure 6.20); then click OK. Hidden now appears in the Linetype Manager dialog box because this particular linetype style has been loaded in the drawing file; click OK to close the Linetype Manager dialog box.

   

3. Zoom into the closet in the Marketing space and select both lines on the Millwork layer, representing a high shelf.
4. Open the Linetype drop-down menu in the Properties panel and select Hidden from the menu. Now the two selected lines have the Hidden linetype assigned. Press Esc to deselect.

5. You still don’t see breaks in the lines because the linetype scale is too small by default. Type LTS (for Linetype Scale) and press Enter. The command prompt reads as follows:

   
   LTSCALE Enter new linetype scale factor <1.0000>:
   

6. Type 48 (or 50 for metric) and press Enter. The lines appear with breaks indicating that the shelf is above the section plane (see Figure 6.21).

   

7. Select the horizontal shelf line, right-click, and choose Properties from the context menu.
8. Change Linetype Scale to 0.5 in the General section of the Properties panel (see Figure 6.22).

   

9. Press Esc to deselect the horizontal shelf line. The breaks in the horizontal line are half as large as those in the vertical segment (see Figure 6.23). Close the Properties panel.

   

Your model should now resemble Ex06.7-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.8: Assign Properties

Begin by opening the file Ex06.8-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Open the Linetype drop-down menu on the Properties panel and select Hidden (see Figure 6.24). Draw a line of arbitrary length anywhere on the canvas.

   

2. Open the Linetype drop-down menu on the Properties panel and select ByLayer.

3. Draw another line and observe that it has continuous linetype.

4. If you want to change the property of a specific object, use Quick Properties instead of the drop-down menus in the Properties panel. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to toggle on Quick Properties if it is currently off.
5. Select the continuous line drawn in step 2 and change its Linetype property to Hidden (see Figure 6.25). Press Esc to deselect.

   

6. Draw another line and verify that it has continuous linetype.

Your model should now resemble Ex06.8-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.9: Control Layer Properties

Begin by opening the file Ex06.9-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Click the Layer Properties tool in the Layers panel. The Layer Properties Manager appears (see Figure 6.26).

   

2. Collapse the layer filter tree to save some space in the panel.
3. Click the New Layer button, type Millwork-Upper as the new layer’s name, and press Enter.

4. Double-click the blue parallelogram next to the new layer.

5. Right-click any one of the column headers to access a context menu. Choose Maximize All Columns from this menu. Figure 6.27 shows the result: the columns are all readable.

   

6. Click the Freeze column header to sort the column by that criterion (frozen state). Click the Freeze column header again to reverse the sort order. All columns are sortable.
7. Click the word Continuous in the Linetype column in the Millwork-Upper layer. In the Select Linetype dialog box that appears, choose Hidden and click OK.
8. Click Millwork-Upper’s color swatch to open the Select Color dialog box. Click the larger red swatch where indicated in Figure 6.28 and click OK. Close the Layer Properties Manager.

   

9. Zoom into the closet in the Marketing space and select both shelf lines. Change Layer to Millwork-Upper and Linetype to ByLayer in the Quick Properties window.

Your model should now resemble Ex06.9-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.

Exercise 6.10: Isolate and Hide Individual Objects

In this exercise, you will learn how to isolate objects, hide additional objects, and finally end the object isolation to return the drawing to its initial state. This procedure is useful in situations where you want to focus on a chosen set of objects without visual distraction while you perform a task.

Begin by opening the file Ex06.10-start.dwg from this chapter’s companion files.

1. Click the Isolate Objects button on the status bar and select Isolate Objects from the menu that appears. Select all of the objects inside the kitchen with a crossing selection (see Figure 6.29).

   

   

2. Click the same icon on the status bar as you did previously and select Hide Objects from the menu. Select the word Kitchen and the door and see them disappear.

   

3. Click the Stretch button in the Modify panel. Make a crossing selection from point A to B, as shown in Figure 6.30, and press Enter. Toggle on Ortho mode if it is not on already. Click an arbitrary first point, move the cursor downward a short distance to establish the vertical direction for the STRETCH command, type 12 (30 in metric), and press Enter.

   

   

4. Select the same icon in the status bar, which now has the tooltip Unisolate Objects, and choose End Object Isolation from the menu that appears. The hidden and isolated objects are now once again visible.

Your model should now resemble Ex06.10-end.dwg, which is available among this chapter’s companion files.