Is it possible to have the same Entity on Multiple Layers?

[paulwoody]

I have tried searching the forums to no avail.

 

I am not a beginner when it comes to AutoCAD but I am self taught so it's entirely possible there are things I have missed that are basic and obvious to others.

 

Is it possible to assign an entity or a block to multiple layers?

 

For example I have a Fire Alarm layer showing smoke detectors and a Fire Alarm Panel but I would also like the Fire Alarm Panel to also show in my Small Power Viewport too.

 

I don't want to see smoke detectors on my small Power so I can't just make the layer visible to that viewport.

 

How do you guys handle such a situation?

 

At present I tend to create a dedicated layer called "Small Power Fire" which is shown on both the Fire Alarm Viewport and the Small Power Viewport but this creates a lot of layers to maintain that contain one or two items.

 

I realise I could copy the Fire Alarm Panel to the Small Power Layer but I don't like that idea because its means someone has to change two layers when repositioning or altering.

 

Any suggestions?

 

The ability to assign an entity or block to multiple layers would be fantastic and I can't believe it's not already an option.

 

I am running AutoCAD 2008 at present.

Edited October 28, 2010 by paulwoody
Added AutoCAD Version

[edwinprakoso]

It doesn't matter how many layers you have. You can set several layer states and turn on/off many layers at once.

Read about layer states here: http://cad-notes.com/2009/09/creating-different-drawing-representation/

[ReMark]

Are you utilizing layouts/viewports? You can choose which layers you want to display in individual viewports.

[yawningcaptain]

NO, As far to my understanding, you cannot assign an entity to multiple layers...

Or more correctly, you cannot assign multiple layers to the same entity.

 

Just separate the smoke detectors and the Fire Alarm Panel(s) into different layers. and get used to the layer handling functions...

[ReMark]

You could copy the entity to multiple layers using the COPYTOLAYER command.

[David Bethel]

Why not:

• make a block of of the fire alarm panel
  
• have main box geometry on the fire layer
  
• have an outline of the box geometry on the power layer
  
• add any additional data to the respective layers
  
• insert the block on layer "0"
  

 

Now any type of layer manager should be able to handle it. -David

PANEL-FR.DWG

Edited October 28, 2010 by David Bethel

[paulwoody]

Sorry for the late reply my machine has been out of action for the past couple of weeks.

 

I am using Layouts and Viewports with VP Freeze for individual viewport layer control.

 

I appreciate there are many ways around the problem including the use of Blocks with entities on various different layers but I have to make these drawings easy to maintain for not so advanced CAD users so I was just hoping there was something similar to what I described I had missed.

 

Thanks Again!

[ReMark]

Nothing that has been proposed as a solution is that complicated. Sounds like a little training session is in order.

[BlackBox]

Nothing that has been proposed as a solution is that complicated. Sounds like a little training session is in order.

 

 

I second the training session... I'm unsure how much more 'basic' you can get then a block (standard, non-dynamic).

[Tiger]

I second the training session... I'm unsure how much more 'basic' you can get then a block (standard, non-dynamic).

 

Oh trust me, a block can be Very Strange.

 

Paul, you have your answer already, I just want to chime in and say that I know the frustration in making drawings and utilities dummy-proof, and even a simple block can become a big hurdle if you're not careful.

 

I would do what you do really, have different layers for eveything. It makes a large layerlist but as previously stated, you can have (pretty much) as big a layer-list as you want. And with logically named layers, it is not so much a hassle. There is also a search-box in the Layer Manager where you can use wildcards (*) to find groups of layers.

[Grant]

Just my 2 cents:

 

When making the block if you draw your entities on Layer '0' and then block it the colors of your block will change to the layer you decide to put the block on to. Very handy!