CADopia blog

CADopia - Controlling layer visibility

A layer can be visible or invisible. Entities on invisible layers are not displayed and do not print. By controlling layer visibility, you can turn off unnecessary information, such as construction lines or notes. By changing layer visibility, you can put the same drawing to multiple uses.

For example, if you are drawing a floor plan, you can draw the layout of light fixtures on one layer and the location of plumbing lines on another. By selectively turning layers on and off, you can print the electrical engineering drawings and the plumbing drawings from the same drawing file. For even more convenience, you can control the visibility of layers within individual viewports, so that layers that display in one viewport are invisible in other viewports in the same drawing.

When you turn a layer off, entities drawn on that layer are no longer visible. When you turn the layer back on, the entities on that layer are redisplayed.

CADopia - Making a layer current

When you create new entities, they are drawn on the current layer. To draw new entities on a different layer, you must first make that layer the current layer.

To make a layer current

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > Explore Layers.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the Explore Layers tool ().

·         Type explayers, and then press Enter.

2.       In the Layer Name list, select the layer you want to make current.

3.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Edit > Current.

·         In the Layer Name list, select the name you want to make current, and then click the Current tool ().

·         Double-click the layer name in the Layer Name list.

·         Right-click the layer name you want to change, and from the shortcut menu select Current.

4.       To complete the command and return to your drawing, close the window.

To set the current layer to that of an existing entity

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > Set Layer By Entity.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the Set Layer By Entity tool ().

·         Type setlayer and then press Enter.

2.       Select the entity to set the current layer.

CADopia - Organizing information on layers

Layers in CADopia are like the transparent overlays you use in manual drafting. You use layers to organize different types of drawing information. In CADopia, each entity in a drawing exists on a layer. When you draw an entity, it is created on the current layer.

You can control the visibility of layers in individual viewports. When you turn a layer off, entities drawn on that layer are no longer visible, and they do not print. Although a layer may be invisible, you can still select it as the current layer, in which case new entities are also invisible until you turn the layer back on. Entities on invisible layers can also affect the display and printing of entities on other layers. For example, entities on invisible layers can hide other entities when you use the Hide command to remove hidden lines.

You can also freeze and thaw layers. Entities drawn on frozen layers do not display, do not print, and do not regenerate. When you freeze a layer, its entities do not affect the display or printing of other entities. For example, entities on frozen layers do not hide other entities when you use the Hide command to remove hidden lines. In addition, you cannot draw on a frozen layer until you thaw it, and you cannot make a frozen layer current.

You cannot freeze the current layer. If you attempt to freeze the current layer, a dialog box appears prompting you to specify a different layer. You also cannot freeze or thaw a viewport layer unless you are working in a Layout tab.

You can lock or unlock layers. The entities on a locked layer are still visible and will print, but you cannot edit them. Locking a layer prevents you from accidentally modifying entities.

Each layer has its own color, linetype, and lineweight. For drawings that use named print styles, layers can also have their own print style. Entities you draw on a particular layer are displayed in the color, linetype, and lineweight associated with that layer unless you override these settings. You control all of the associated settings for layers using the Layers elements in the CADopia Explorer.

To display layers in the CADopia Explorer

Do one of the following:

• Choose Settings > Explore Layers.

• Choose Tools > CADopia Explorer.

• On the Tools toolbar, click the CADopia Explorer
  tool ().

• On the Settings toolbar, click the Explore Layers
  tool ().

• Type explayers and then press Enter.

When Layers are displayed, three tools on the Layer toolbar provide the following functions:

() Layer On/Off	Toggles the selected layers on and off.
() Freeze/Thaw	Freezes or thaws the selected layers.
() Lock/Unlock	Locks or unlocks the selected layers.

You can change any of these settings by clicking either the tool or its current condition. You can edit the color, linetype, lineweight, and other properties of a layer by clicking the corresponding name and selecting the values you want in the dialog box. You can also edit a layer’s properties by right-clicking it and choosing Properties.

CADopia - Creating and naming layers

You can create an unlimited number of layers in every drawing and use those layers for organizing information. When you create a new layer, it is initially assigned the color white (or black, depending on your system settings) and the linetype CONTINUOUS. By default, a new layer is also visible. After you create and name a layer, you can change its color, linetype, visibility, and other properties.

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NOTE:  Layer names created or renamed in CADopia can have up to 31 characters and cannot include spaces. CADopia will, however, display longer layer names and names containing spaces, such as layers created in AutoCAD 2006.

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To create a new layer

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > Explore Layers.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the Explore Layers tool ().

·         Type explayers and then press Enter.

2.       Choose Edit > New > Layer.

The program adds a new layer to the Layer Name list, with the default name NewLayer1.

3.       Type a name for the new layer over the highlighted default name, and then press Enter.

4.       To complete the command and return to your drawing, close the window.

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TIP:  You can also create a new layer by selecting the Layers element for a drawing and clicking the New Item tool ().

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To change a layer name in the current drawing

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > Explore Layers.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the Explore Layers tool ().

·         Type explayers and then press Enter.

2.       In the Layer Name list, select the layer you want to make current.

3.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Edit > Rename, type a new name, and then press Enter.

·         Highlight the layer name you want to change, type a new name, and then press Enter.

·         Right-click the layer name you want to change, and from the shortcut menu, select Rename, type a new name, and then press Enter.

4.       To complete the command and return to your drawing, close the window.

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NOTE:  You cannot rename the 0 layer.

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CADopia - Purging elements

From within the CADopia Explorer, you can eliminate unused blocks, layers, linetypes, text styles, or dimension styles from your drawing file. Purging unused elements can significantly reduce the drawing file size.

To purge an element

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Tools > CADopia Explorer.

·         On the Tools toolbar, click the CADopia Explorer tool ().

·         Type explayers and then press Enter.

2.       Select the element from which you want to purge unreferenced elements.

3.       From the Standard toolbar, select the Purge tool ().

The main drawing window appears.

4.       In the command bar, do one of the following:

·         Enter the name of the element to purge, and then press Enter.

·         Press Enter to purge all unused elements of the selected type without confirming the removal of each element.

CADopia - Deleting settings

You can use the CADopia Explorer to delete many of the items that appear in the Elements list. You can delete a layer, linetype, text style, coordinate system, view, block, or dimension style.

Because you may have already created entities on a particular layer or using a particular linetype or text style, deleting one of these elements requires that you make certain choices from options the program presents. For example, if you attempt to delete a layer, the program prompts you to specify whether you want to move any entities from that layer to another layer. Every drawing has at least one layer, the default layer, named "0." You cannot delete or rename this layer. Your drawing can also contain an unlimited number of additional layers, each of which you assign a unique name.

If you try to delete a linetype, the program prompts you to specify whether you want to convert all entities drawn using that linetype to a different linetype. If you attempt to delete a text style, the program prompts you to specify whether you want to convert all text entities created using that style to a different style.

To delete a layer and relocate its entities to another layer

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > Explore Layers.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the Explore Layers tool ().

·         Type explayers and then press Enter.

2.       From the Layer Name list, select the layer that you want to delete.

If that layer is the current layer, layer 0 automatically becomes the current layer.

3.       Choose Edit > Delete, or click the Delete tool ().

4.       From the dialog box, double-click Change.

5.       In the drop-down list, double-click the layer to which you want to relocate entities.

CADopia - Using the CADopia Explorer

The CADopia Explorer opens in its own, separate window, which you can move or resize. The CADopia Explorer window has its own menu and tools.

To display the CADopia Explorer

Do one of the following

• Choose Tools > CADopia Explorer.

• On the Tools toolbar, click the CADopia Explorer
  tool ().

• Type explayers and then press Enter.

• Type la and then press Enter.

• On the status bar, right-click on the current layer, and from the list select the layer you want to make current.

The CADopia Explorer window has two panes, a left pane and a right pane. The elements are listed in the left pane, and the drawing settings are listed and described in the right pane.

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TIP:  On the Settings menu, you can use the Explore Layers, Explore Blocks, Explore Views, Explore Coordinate Systems, Explore Linetypes, Explore Text Styles, and Explore Dimension Styles commands to display the layers, blocks, views, coordinate systems, linetypes, text styles, and dimension styles for the current drawing in the CADopia Explorer window. Tools for these commands also appear on the Settings toolbar.

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Using the CADopia Explorer, you can create, delete, or modify any of the settings for the currently selected element for a given drawing. You can also copy the contents of any element from one drawing to another. The tools and menu items on the CADopia Explorer provide the following functions:

CADopia Explorer tools

Tool	Function
() New Item	Creates a new layer, linetype, style, coordinate system, view, block, or dimension style.
() Current	Makes the selection current.
() Cut	Cuts the selection to the Clipboard.
() Copy	Copies the selection to the Clipboard.
() Paste	Pastes the selection from the Clipboard into the appropriate list of a different drawing.
() Delete	Deletes the selection from the list.
() Properties	Displays the properties for the selection.
() World	Sets the current coordinate system to the World Coordinate System (WCS).
() Purge	Eliminates unreferenced elements from your drawing file.

CADopia - Copying settings

A particularly powerful feature of the CADopia Explorer is its capability of copying many of the settings—layers, linetypes, text styles, coordinate systems, views, blocks, or dimension styles—from one drawing to another. If you have more than one drawing open, the CADopia Explorer makes it easy to reuse information. For example, when you copy layers from one drawing to another, the layer names as well as their linetypes, colors, and other settings are also copied, but not the entities on those layers.

To copy layers from one open drawing to another open drawing

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > Explore Layers.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the Explore Layers tool ().

·         Type explayers and then press Enter.

2.       In the Elements pane, select the drawing from which you want to copy layers.

3.       If necessary, click the plus (+) symbol to expand the Elements list for the drawing, and then click Layers.

4.       In the Layers Settings In Drawing list (right pane), select the layers you want to copy.

5.       Choose Edit > Copy, or click the Copy tool ().

6.       In the Elements pane, select the drawing to which you want to copy the layers.

7.       If necessary, click the plus (+) symbol to expand the Elements list for the drawing, and then click Layers.

8.       Choose Edit > Paste, or click the Paste tool ().

CADopia - Using a preset user coordinate system

CADopia IntelliCAD lets you select a preset UCS. The six planes defined by looking along the x,y,z-axes align the UCS with the top, left, front, bottom, right, or back, based on either the WCS or the current UCS in effect when you select an icon in the User Coordinate Systems dialog box. You can also select the previous UCS, align the UCS to the current view, or select the WCS.

When you select a UCS, the cursor orientation and UCS icon change to reflect the new UCS. The display does not change, however, unless you select the Change View To Plan View Of The Selected UCS check box.

After you align the UCS to a preset UCS, you can use the CADopia IntelliCAD Explorer to save the UCS. To do this, in the CADopia IntelliCAD Explorer window, choose Edit > New > UCS, and then select Current.

To select a preset UCS

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > User Coordinate Systems.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the User Coordinate Systems tool ().

·         Type setucs and then press Enter.

2.       Under Set The Selected UCS Relative To, select either Current UCS to change to the new UCS by reorienting relative to the current UCS, or select World Coordinate System (WCS) to base the new UCS orientation on the WCS.

3.       Under Select UCS, click the button corresponding to the UCS you want as the new current UCS.

CADopia - Defining user coordinate systems

When working in three-dimensional space, you can define a user coordinate system (UCS) with its own 0,0,0 origin and orientation separate from the World Coordinate System. You can create as many user coordinate systems as you want, and then save and recall them as you need them to simplify construction of three-dimensional entities.

For example, you can create a separate UCS for each side of a building. Then, by switching to the UCS for the east side of the building, you can draw the windows on that side by specifying only their x- and y-coordinates. When you create one or more user coordinate systems, the coordinate entry is based on the current UCS.

 

UCS aligned with the front wall of the house.

Defining a user coordinate system

To define a UCS, you can use any of the following methods:

• Specify a new origin and points on the positive x- and y-axes.

• Specify a new origin and point on the positive z-axis.

• Align the UCS with an existing entity.

• Rotate the current UCS around any of its axes.

• Align the UCS with its z-axis parallel to the current viewing direction.

• Align the UCS xy plane perpendicular to the current view.

When you define a new UCS, the UCS icon changes to indicate the origin and orientation of the new UCS.

To define a UCS by specifying a new origin and points on the positive x- and y-axes

1.       Do one of the following:

·         Choose Settings > User Coordinate Systems.

·         On the Settings toolbar, click the User Coordinate Systems tool ().

·         Type setucs and then press Enter.

2.       In the User Coordinate Systems dialog box, click Explore UCSs.

3.       In the CADopia IntelliCAD Explorer, be sure that Coordinate Systems is selected, and click the New Item tool ().

4.       In the prompt box, choose 3 Point.

5.       Select the new origin.

6.       Select a point on the positive x-axis.

7.       Select a point in the positive y direction.

8.       In the CADopia IntelliCAD Explorer - Coordinate Systems dialog box, type the name for the new UCS, and then close the dialog box.

 

Define the new UCS by selecting the origin (A), a point on the positive x-axis (B), and a point in the positive y direction (C).