Making a Layer the Current Layer on Autocad 2011

Making a Layer the Current Layer on Autocad 2011

Once you have created some layers you will want to start using them. As indicated above, you can only draw on one layer at a time. In order to draw on a particular layer you must first make it the current layer. As usual with AutoCAD there are a number of alternatives. You could, for example, use the Layer command, Layer... from the Format pull-down or from the Object Properties toolbar. As you have seen previously, this command brings up the Layer & Linetype Properties dialogue box. To set the current layer, select a layer name from the list and then click on the "Current" button and then click the "OK" button to finish. The selected layer is now the current layer and it's properties are displayed on the Object Properties toolbar.




Most experienced AutoCAD users change the current layer so frequently that the above method starts to seem very long winded. It is much quicker and therefore more efficient to set the current layer directly from the Object Properties toolbar using the "Layer Control" drop-down list. To set the current layer, click on the down arrow next to the Layer Control window to reveal the layer list. Simply click on the name of the layer you wish to make current. If the layer name is not visible because the list is quite long, scroll down the list until you see it. The drop-down list only displays 10 layers at a time. As a beginner, you may feel that this is quite a lot but a complex and well structured drawing may have 50 or 100 layers.

Toolbar
Pull-down	not available
Keyboard	AI_MOLC

There is an even quicker way to change the current layer providing you know which layer objects are on. You can use the Make Object's Layer Current command to set the current layer to the layer of any picked object.

Command Sequence

Select Make Object's Layer Current from the Object Properties toolbar.
When AutoCAD prompts
Select object whose layer will become current:
pick the object you know to be on the required layer. If you miss the object you are trying to select, the command is automatically canceled

AutoCAD confirms the action by writing to the command line
LAYER NAME is now the current layer.
You will also see the layer details change in the Object Properties toolbar. With a bit of practice and a good awareness of the layers you are using, this command can save lots of time.