Hip tip: Organization of layers inside the blocks
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Author | Orhan Toker |
| Profession | Architect M.Sc. | |
| Autodesk Authorized Consultant | ||
| Database Specialist | ||
All AutoCAD versions. This article prepared with AutoCAD 2002
Hello,
Yesterday, Eren has started his series of articles about blocks. There are several advantages of using blocks in AutoCAD. You can read these advantages in the first article of his series (Blocks I). In addition, by organizing the blocks in a more clever way, you can increase the benefits gained from using blocks. In this article, I will explain about organization of layers inside the blocks. As you know, blocks are definitions that include AutoCAD entities and a certain insertion point inside them. As an example, you can draw a table by its four legs, one slab and possibly a glass. Thus, this is a group that is made up of six numbers of quadrilaterals. All of these entities all together resemble a table (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 My simple TABLE block.
Think of this shape as a block named as TABLE. In the definition of my TABLE block, there is one table slab, four numbers of metal legs and one glass panel. While creating the block, I used TAL_T_WOOD, TAL_T_GLASS and TAL_T_ METAL layers (T letter that I used in the middle of layer names represent word table). By this way, these layers are also defined inside the definition of the block. Assume that after creating the block, we used TAL_FURNITURE layer for inserting furnishing elements at the several locations inside the drawing. When we want the table to look without glass, it will be enough to freeze TAL_S_GLASS layer. Note that, if layers of the entities that are used inside the block is zero, then block will take the properties of the layer we use while inserting the block.
As it can be understood from this simple example, if you carefully select, arrange and name the layers that you use inside the blocks, then you can use the same block for different purposes.
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May 15th, 2007 07:23
Hi,Orhan
Thank you very much for your time to write down all these wonderful articles , I found that is extremelly usefully.
I also have some questions that how do you name your layer ? how do your name your block?If I have a complicated drawing without using any blocks just simply drawn line by line , which is the easiest way to modify the drawing?
Thank you angin .
donna
May 15th, 2007 07:45
Hi Donna,
This is really good question. Actually naming layers and blocks in AutoCAD is a major subjetc. There are several books about CAD standarts which are explain naming convensions very detailed.
I’m giving layer names in my projects as fallow:
TAL_3D_WALLS_INT
First 3 char: Leading 3 chars of my company.
Second: 2D/3D
After: What is the object
Finally: INTerior EXTerior, ELEvation, SECtion etc.
In this way, i can on/off, search, filter layers with wildcard chars.
Example: When i want to hide 3D objects, from layer control dialog select ???_3D_* and hide.
December 27th, 2007 06:51
hey
i would like to ask you something, recently i downloaded one free block on the internet, i insert that block in front of a hatch object, and then i cant see any hatch in that object, i would like to know how can i do that.
thanks
weikit