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Overview of Layers

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Overview of Layers

 

 

 

 

Layers are widely used in CAD-based software to group information in a drawing by function or by other factors and to enforce linetype, lineweight, color, and other standards.

Layers are the equivalent of the overlays used in paper-based drafting. Layers are the primary organizational tool used in CAD drawings. Layers put information together by function and to enforce linetype, lineweight, color, and other standards.

More often than not, similar types of objects are assigned to the same layer. For instance, external walls, internal walls, bricks, and  roofs are usually assigned to separate layers when a designer builds a 2D plan. You can control the following:

Whether objects on a layer are visible or dimmed in any viewports
Whether and how objects are plotted
What color is assigned to all objects on a layer
What default linetype and lineweight are assigned to all objects on a layer
Whether objects display with different layer properties in individual layout viewports