Organizing Information with Layers

Organizing Information with Layers
You can think of layers as overlays on which you keep various types of information (see Figure 5.1).
In a floor plan of a building, for example, you want to keep the walls, ceiling, plumbing fixtures,
wiring, and furniture separate so that you can display or plot them individually or combine them
in different ways. It’s also a good idea to keep notes and reference symbols, as well as the drawing’s
dimensions, on their own layers. As your drawing becomes more complex, you can turn the various
layers on and off to allow easier display and modification.
For example, one of your consultants might need a plot of just the dimensions and walls, without all
the other information; another consultant might need only a furniture layout. Using manual drafting,
you would have to redraw your plan for each consultant or use overlay drafting techniques, which can
be cumbersome. With AutoCAD, you can turn off the layers you don’t need and plot a drawing containing
only the required information. A carefully planned layering scheme helps you produce a document
that combines the types of information needed in each case.
Using layers also lets you modify your drawings more easily. For example, suppose you have
an architectural drawing with separate layers for the walls, the ceiling plan, and the floor plan. If
any change occurs in the wall locations, you can turn on the ceiling plan layer to see where the new
wall locations will affect the ceiling and then make the proper adjustments.
AutoCAD allows an unlimited number of layers, and you can name each layer anything you want.