Layout and plan layers

[Electromen]

I'd like to be able to send a Plan to the Layout and control the Layers shown.  In other words, Send each floor to the Layout with all layers shown.  Then have a page in the Layout that has no dimensions, just electrical.  Right now I can send a floor to the layout with Electrical only, but then when turn on layers in the Plan, the Layout also changes.  I'd like to have several Layout pages with only certain layers turned on.

[Chrisb222]

What's displayed in the Layout Box is controlled by layer sets, or annotation sets. Select the Layout Box and click the Layer Properties tool to see which layer set it's referencing.

 

Your Layout Box is probably referencing the Default layer set in the plan, so whenever you alter the Default layer set in the plan, it changes what's displayed in the Layout Box.

 

If you set up layer sets for what you want to display (or better yet, annotation sets) it gives you much more control over your layouts.

 

You can then change which layer set (or annotation set) a layout box is referencing in layout. This is very powerful because you can copy the layout box and paste to another layout page (paste in place keeps it tidy), change the referenced layer set or annotation set, and change what is displayed without changing the original layout box.

[Chrisb222]

Here are four unique views of one foundation, in different scales, on two layout pages, using layer sets to control what is visible:

 

 

[Electromen]

39 minutes ago, Chrisb222 said:

What's displayed in the Layout Box is controlled by layer sets, or annotation sets. Select the Layout Box and click the Layer Properties tool to see which layer set it's referencing.

 

Your Layout Box is probably referencing the Default layer set in the plan, so whenever you alter the Default layer set in the plan, it changes what's displayed in the Layout Box.

 

If you set up layer sets for what you want to display (or better yet, annotation sets) it gives you much more control over your layouts.

 

You can then change which layer set (or annotation set) a layout box is referencing in layout. This is very powerful because you can copy the layout box and paste to another layout page (paste in place keeps it tidy), change the referenced layer set or annotation set, and change what is displayed without changing the original layout box.

 

Thanks Chris, I got it working

[Alaskan_Son]

Since I know other users are going to end up here doing their own searches I wanted to try and clarify a couple things....

 

One of the single most pervasive and invasive pieces of misinformation I see here in the forum is with regard to annotation sets.  Annotation sets can greatly increase efficiency and productivity but they really aren’t anything special and don’t actually control anything at all in and of themselves.  Let me ‘splain...

 

Individual layer settings (NOT Layer SETS) control (somewhat optionally) how a given object or group of objects are treated in that particular layer set, including but not limited to the text style, whether or not the object is displayed, whether or not the object can be selected, whether or not the object reports to the material list, the line style/color/weight, etc.  Layer settings are probably the single most important thing to understand.  Set these correctly and everything should display exactly like you want it.  Next comes Layer Sets...

 

Layer SETS are just a group of pre-configured layer settings. That’s it.  Switch your Layer Set and you switch over to that GROUP of layer settings that are configured exactly like you want them for that view.

 

Next comes your Active Defaults.  You know how you can change your window defaults so that any new windows you drop into the plan are placed onto the desired layer, are the desired size and type, and have all the desired settings before you even place them?  Well, text, rich text, dimensions, and other annotation objects work the exact same way, EXCEPT that you have multiple defaults to choose from instead of just one like we have for most other items.  You can set which default is active at any given time in the Active Defaults dialog...something I personally think everyone should have in their main toolbar at all times.  In addition to the aforementioned defaults you can also select a Current CAD layer (the layer on which all new CAD is drawn), a Layer Set, and a Referenced Layer Set.

 

Annotation Sets are just a set of pre-configured Active Defaults.  You can either switch Active Defaults piecemeal or as a group using an Annotation Set.  That’s all annotation sets do.  They’re akin to opening a different template plan where all your defaults are pre-configured for any given job.

 

The LAYER decides how the object is treated and displayed, the LAYER SET just changes to a preconfigured group of layers all at once.  DEFAULTS decide how an object is drawn.  ACTIVE DEFAULTS are the list of defaults you want to use at any given time.  ANNOTATION SETS are just pre-selected groups of Active Defaults.  Saying Annotation Sets control how your dimensions are displayed is kinda like saying your Profile Plan is what controls the linestyle of your polylines.  

 

Anyway, if if you know what they really do you can figure out how best to use them for YOUR situation.  

 

 

Next time on Michael’s Rant For The Day...

 

Current Floor, Referenced Layer Set, Referenced Floor, Reference Display Toggle, Zoom Settings, the new Plan Views (HINT: This is a preconfigured group of settings for ALL THE ABOVE), and sending the whole shebang to layout.  

[Kbird1]

20 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said:

Next time on Michael’s Rant For The Day...

 

Current Floor, Referenced Layer Set, Referenced Floor, Reference Display Toggle, Zoom Settings, the new Plan Views (HINT: This is a preconfigured group of settings for ALL THE ABOVE), and sending the whole shebang to layout.  

 

Thanks ... will look for the next Post  

 

May I suggest Copy and Pasting the above Post into the Tips Section...and continue from there....if one is so inclined thx.