changing all colors in drawing regardless of layer, block

[NoelStalker]

I want to change the color of everything in my drawing except for 3 layers. There are hundreds of layers and blocks in this drawing, even after purging. I want to avoid just exploding everything and putting it on one layer.

 

I want to change everything to grey except for the 3 layers I'm working in. I'm using ACAD LT so I can't create a script to do the job. The only thing I can think of is going into the layer properties window and selecting each layer and changing the color one at a time. I'm wondering if there's a better way of doing this. Any help is appreciated!

[nestly]

1st, if you're going to change them in the Layer Manager, you don't have to do them one-at-a-time, just select all the layers and click on any one of the color buttons.

 

2nd ... DON'T DO THAT

 

LT has Viewport overrides and Layer States (at least I think LT does) My recommendation is to make a full size viewport, and work in that, you won't even be able to tell you're not on the Model tab unless you look at the Layout tab. One of the big advantages of working in viewports is the ability to display layer colors. linetypes, lineweights etc any way you choose on a per-viewport basis without altering the model. If you need any additonal help creating a viewport and figuring out how to grey all the layers except your 3 working layers, just ask.

[Dadgad]

I agree with nestly, ......... DON'T DO THAT. Good suggestion and information.

Just in case changing all the colors to grey is less important than highlighting those 3 layers to which you want to draw attention, you could use the LAYISO command which will reduce the color intensity of all nonisolated layers by a percentage which you can set by selecting SETTINGS at the commandline, before the selection of your isolation objects set. To reverse the effect, use the LAYUNISO command. It doesn't offer the customability of nestly's viewport visibility and display technique, but it is fast. The colors of the un-isolated layers will still display, albeit dimly.

[Dana W]

1st, if you're going to change them in the Layer Manager, you don't have to do them one-at-a-time, just select all the layers and click on any one of the color buttons.

 

2nd ... DON'T DO THAT

 

LT has Viewport overrides and Layer States (at least I think LT does)

 

YES, LT does have those capabilities, even my old 2009 version. These options saved my bacon last week. I was able to recreate a drawing as a background in light gray with additions and revisions shown in full hard black. I needed it in one day. Got'r'done, got paid today.

 

Betcha that is what the OP wants to do also.

 

Yeah, just do your changes like nestly says. It is great.

[Dana W]

Oh poop, if I had known about (how to handle) layiso and fade control ida been able to make it prettier.

[RobDraw]

Guys, get out of the box. I have to change almost every layer color in a file to gray except for a few important ones for every project I work on.

 

NoelStalker, I think what the guys may be suggesting is that before you go and change all the colors, make sure your not going to screw up the file for someone else that might be using it at a later time. That being said, you can select all the layers with a couple of keystrokes like you would select multiple files in Windows or alternately right clinking in the layers box brings up a list of selection options. You can deselect the ones you don't want to change using the Ctrl key. Then change the color like you normally would. You may have objects and blocks with objects that don't change. I'm not sure if LT has the SETBYLAYER command but this is a good command if you run into this situation.

[nestly]

I dunno, using VP Overrides and/or LayerStates to make temporary changes to the way layers and objects are displayed seems a much less "boxed" solution than actually making the drawing into monochrome.

[RobDraw]

I was just trying to point out that there are situations where changing the color of the layers is the desired result and not something that should not be addressed as "DONT DO THAT". In fact, your solution would not work in my situation.

[Dadgad]

I would be seriously surprised if there were EVER any single post which worked in EVERY situation. :wink:

[RobDraw]

That's my point about the "DONT DO THAT" comment. Plus, both of you addressed the issue as if it were something that the OP wanted to do temporarily. This may very well be the case and your solutions are good and will work if it is. But he never said that these colors were to be a temporary "state".

[nestly]

Re: "DONT DO THAT" I did follow it with an emoticon, but perhaps it didn't convey the message I intended.

 

Exploding blocks & hatches, properties overrides, drawing on Layer 0 or Defpoints, they're all common "Donts" yet all of use have probably done at least some of them in defiance of the generally accepted best practices. I may be mistaken, but I didn't get the impression the OP was familiar with the various options, thus the question, and my response that the most obvious option is the most "permanent" change and offers the least flexibilty. Once you change hundreds of layer properties, there's no easy way to restore them. That may be fine if you're the last guy that's going to work on the drawing, but if it has to go back to whoever designed the stuff on all those "background" layers, they're not going to be too happy. I used to do exactly what you described, but I haven't done it since I discovered VP overrides. Also, did mention LayerStates as another option, and I'd be interested to know why that option wouldn't also work for you, since the only thing it really does is save a snapshot of the Layer settings at any given time.

[RobDraw]

The files I'm referring to are used as backgrounds and XREFd into many other files.

[NoelStalker]

Finally got to check this post. Thanks everyone! You offered some great information! I think for what I'm doing I will select multiple layers at once in the layer states manager and change all colors to grey, then print my drawing to PDF or plot it. Then I can just hit the undo command and not save the drawing so that it affects everyone. My solution I went with initially was to make multiple drawings but now that I have to make changes I can see what a pain this will be. So I've decided to go with the aformentioned solution.

 

I am interested in changing the ways the layers appear in a viewport though. I have used viewports before to hide layers but I didn't know I could change the way that layers appear in a viewport. How do you do this?