You can make layers invisible either by turning them off or by freezing them.
When a layer is turned off or frozen, the objects on that layer are invisible. These two procedures operate in almost the same way and perform about the same function, with one significant difference: objects on frozen layers cannot be selected with the All option, while objects on layers that are off can be selected.
For example, if you enter E↵A↵ to erase all objects, all the visible and invisible objects on the layers turned off are deleted, whereas the objects on frozen layers remain in the drawing but are still invisible. Here is a good rule to follow: If you want a layer to be invisible for only a short time, turn it off; if you prefer that it be invisible semipermanently, freeze it.
For the task at hand, you’ll turn off all layers except the A-WALL and A-DOOR
layers to reveal a more simplified look of your floor plan. Afterward, you’ll learn how to restore the visibility of all layers in your drawing at once.
1. Make sure I06-09-SelectSimilar.dwg (M06-09-SelectSimilar.dwg)
is open.
2. Click the Layer Properties button on the Layers panel to open the
Layer Properties Manager, or expand the palette if it is still collapsed
on your screen.
3. Click the Settings button in the upper-right corner of the Layer
Properties Manager. The Layer Settings dialog box opens.
4. In the Dialog Settings group near the bottom, enable the Indicate
Layers In Use option (see Figure 6.31), and click OK.
F igu re 6 . 3 1 : Enabling the Indicate Layers In Use option from the Layer
Settings dialog box
Notice that layer 0 is still first in the list and that the other layers
have been reorganized alphabetically (see the top of Figure 6.32).
F igu re 6 . 3 2 : The layers, now listed alphabetically (top), and after turning off the selected
layers (bottom)
Also, notice the icons in the Status column:
▶▶ A green check mark signifies that the A-WALL layer is current.
▶▶ The light blue layer icons signify that those layers (0, A-DECK,
A-DECK-STRS, A-DOOR, and A-FLOR-FIXT) now have objects
on them.
▶▶ The light gray layer icons tell you that those layers (A-ROOF
and A-WALL-HEAD) don’t have any objects on them.
Because the A-WALL layer is current and has a green check mark
in the Status column, you can’t tell whether the layer has any objects
on it. You have to make a different layer current and then check
whether the Walls icon is blue or gray.
5. Click the A-DECK layer to highlight it.
6. Then hold down the Shift key and click the A-DECK-STRS layer.
Both the A-DECK and A-DECK-STRS layers should be highlighted
within the Layer Properties Manager.
7. Move the arrow cursor over to the On column, which has a lit lightbulb
as a symbol for each layer row.
8. Click one of the lightbulbs of the selected layers (see the bottom of
Figure 6.32).
The lit lightbulb symbols all change to unlit bulbs for the A-DECK
and A-DECK-STRS layers.
9. Collapse or close the Layer Properties Manager or simply move it out
of the way. Both the deck (A-DECK) and the stairs leading up to the
deck (A-DECK-STRS) are invisible (see Figure 6.33).
F igu re 6 . 3 3 : The floor plan without the deck shown
10. From the Home tab ➢ Layers panel, select the Off tool and then
click any object on the A-FLOR-FIXT (color 11) layer. By selecting
an object on the A-FLOR-FIXT layer, you have graphically turned
that layer off, making the objects on it invisible (see the top of
Figure 6.34).
F igu re 6 . 3 4 : The floor plan after turning off the A-FLOR-FIXT layer (top) and
with the visibility of all layers restored (bottom)
11. Press Esc to end the Off command.
12. To restore the visibility of all layers at once by turning them on,
expand the Home tab ➢ Layers panel and select the Turn All Layers
On tool. The bottom of Figure 6.34 shows the result.
Two of your layers, A-ROOF and A-WALL-HEAD, still have no objects on them
because these components haven’t been drawn yet. You’ll draw the headers now.
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