AutoCAD Display Order

[Marie]

I'm having a problem with display order in AutoCAD 2000. I have brought certain layers to the front in a drawing called BASE, but when I xref BASE into another drawing, the display order I specified (and saved prior to xreffing) is disregarded. What have I missed? Thanks for the help!

[CADTutor]

Marie

Display Order is one of the most common questions about AutoCAD. The short answer to your question is that it simply doesn't work as claimed.

Below is the long answer to a similar question I posted on the old board a few months ago.


Display order in AutoCAD is one of those problems that we have suffered for a long long time. When the new Display Order options arrived a few versions back everyone breathed a sigh of relief - it didn't last long. Changing an objects display order using the provided options is only a temporary fix and objects often revert to their original position after a regen or when a drawing is started up again.

The primary factor that controls the display order of AutoCAD objects is the position of the object in the drawing database. AutoCAD displays the oldest objects first and then newer ones on top. It isn't possible to move an objects position in the database, however, there are a number of tricks you can employ to manipulate a drawing to display the way you want.

If you want an object to always appear at the top but it is currently below other objects, simply copy the object and erase the original. Because the copy is a new object, it will be added to the end of the drawing databse and will be displayed last (on top).

You can also reverse the order of the drawing databse so that objects at the beginning appear at the end and vice versa. To do this, create a WBLOCK of the whole drawing. When a WBLOCK is created, the databse is read from the bottom and written from the top. Effectively, the drawing is turned on it's head. Objects previously hidden will be displayed on top.

You can also manipulate display order by working with XREFS. Say you always want your text to display on top of the drawing. All you need to do is WBLOCK out all the text in your drawing to create a new one that contains only the text. If you now load this new text drawing as an XREF, the text will appear above all other objects in your drawing.

Hope this helps. If anyone else out there has more to add on this topic, I'd love to hear about it.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you discover a good solution to your problem.

[f700es]

If anyone else out there has more to add on this topic, I'd love to hear about it.Hope this helps. Let us know if you discover a good solution to your problem.

Hello all, CADTutor that was a good idea on the draw order. Here are the guidlines/tricks that I always use.

One thing that I have always found that affects Display Order is the settings of the Object Sorting Methods. I select all but the plotting selection. Here is a snap-shot of mine...

http://www.yadtel.net/~f700es/object-sort.jpg

I have this set up in my base drawing and in every new drawing template. I have also found that opening drawings from other people where the draw order is messed up this will usually help fix it. Every now and then I will have to set the draw order for a particular layer with the draw order button but this setting usually keeps it where it should be. Good luck.

F7

[CADTutor]

Hey, AutoCAD for the Mac - cool.

Thanks for that. I've always used the object sort method to control the way objects are selected, see www.cadtutor.net/acad/acad2ki/select/adselect.html#Method I never thought of using it for object display. Are you saying that when the object sort method is set the way you describe that changes in object display become permanent? I must try it out. :o

[f700es]

Hey, AutoCAD for the Mac - cool.

Thanks for that. I've always used the object sort method to control the way objects are selected, see www.cadtutor.net/acad/acad2ki/select/adselect.html#Method I never thought of using it for object display. Are you saying that when the object sort method is set the way you describe that changes in object display become permanent? I must try it out.  :o

It seems to for me. Yes please try it and see what your think. I must say I find your site very informative. I have been using AutoCAD for over 10 years myself and am amazed and seeing new ways to get the job done.
AutoCAD on the Mac?! Well....not really. I am running a skin of the OS-X carbon look on Windows 2000 Pro. I am not a mac fan but the GUI is very cool looking. Thanks again for the great site.

F7

[f700es]

Hindsight being 20/20 maybe I am thinking more of object selection than display order but I usually put them together. If I want to select an object on top of another I have it display on top of another. Maybe what I posted earlier will help in some way.

???

F7

[Frank Lloyd]

. I have brought certain layers to the front in a drawing called BASE, but when I xref BASE into another drawing, the display order I specified (and saved prior to xreffing) is disregarded. What have I missed?



Hi there:

When you use a certain drawing as an xref, autocad usually disregarded the display order of that particular drawing (base on my experience).

But you can do something about this. Try the followings(as what I did in my landscape design presentations).

xref1- baseplan
xref2- hatch(which define the colour for every block in my drawing)
xref3-trees and etc.(which needs to be on the front)

I created my masterplan and inserted xref1-3 as my xrefs and started to assign the display order. xref2 at the back, xref1 above xref2 and xref3 on the front.

It works for me, you can give it a try. ;)

Frank Lloyd

Note:

Autocad consider xrefs as one object on the current drawing ::) so you can play with the display order.

[Koh-Loy Leong]

This trick is most useful. By the way, can you tell me where I can get that Mac OS X skin ? It is real cool and I would like very much to have it. ???

[f700es]

This trick is most useful.  By the way, can you tell me where I can get that Mac OS X skin ?  It is real cool and I would like very much to have it. ???
Sure, first you will need to download a program called WindowBlinds (http://www.windowblinds.net/). It is not free but it is not expensive either. It is part of a larger application called Object Desktop ($49.95 USD) but it can be bought for $19.95 USD by itself. You can use it in demo mode but some functions be missing. Once you have it go to http://www.wincustomize.org/ and get some skins. The Mac skins are hard to find, Apple is trying to make people remove all skinz similar to their OS skins. Let me know if you have trouble.

F7

[Clementv]

The below text comes from Autodesk Point A and may help with some drawing order problems.

Issue
Objects in xref drawings do not display or plot using the order set by the DRAWORDER command.



Solution
This is a known limitation. For more information about xrefs, see chapter13, "Using Blocks and External References," in the User's Guide.

If you reference a drawing that has an attached image or other objects that have been edited with the DRAWORDER command, the drawing order in the xref will not be in the original order, even after regenerating the drawing. If you plot the drawing without correcting the drawing order, geometry in the drawing that was intended to be hidden by other objects may be visible. To correct the drawing order, you need to create a block out of the xref, save it to a DWG file, and use that file as the xref:

Open the xref file.
Invoke the DRAWORDER command and specify the drawing order of the objects in the xref drawing.
On the command line, type bmake and press ENTER.
In the Block Definition dialog box, name the block using a name that is different from the drawing name.
Under Base Point, enter 0 for the X, Y, and Z values, and then select Retain under Objects.
Choose Select Objects.
When the dialog box closes, type all at the command prompt and press ENTER twice to return to the Block Definition dialog box. Choose OK.
On the command line, type wblock and press ENTER.
In the Write Block dialog box, select the Block option, and from the drop-down list select the block you just created .
Under Destination, the File name field is filled in with the name of the block.

Choose OK to save the block to a DWG file.
You can now attach the DWG file you just created to the parent drawing and keep the specified drawing order.

[gcp310]

Hey f700es, what other tid bits of interest are you hiding from us.
love the widows skin websites you posted.

All we need now is a groovy clear plastic cpu cover.

long live the mac. (i have a pc, purley for autocad. otherwise id be on a mac :lol: )

G

[vizwhiz]

hi There

Marie and David and All

if you use Lisp with the Draworder command
you can sort the display (after the fact) sort of:

command: Draworder
select objects: (ssget "X" (list (cons 8 "*yourlayernames goes here*")))
5077 found
Select objects:
Enter object ordering option [Above object/Under object/Front/Back] <Back>: F

i guess if you make a mini-Lisp routine ( i hope this works i am typing off the top of my pointed little head at 4:40 am - not awake yet)

(defun c:disorder ()
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*"))) "" "B")
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*lyrgroup1*"))) "" "F")
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*lyrgroup2*"))) "" "F")
)

This can be compiled into 1 ICON or shorter keystroke alias, do

i use the semi-AIA long form layering naming convention

A-BLDG-WALL-EXTR
A-BLDG-WALL-EXTR-PATT
A-SITE-SIDE-WALK-CONC

using a 4 letter keyword *BLDG* you can sort by this text string
and move the draworder/display order of the layers appropriately

(defun c:disorder ()
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*"))) "" "B")
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*elev*"))) "" "F")
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*text*"))) "" "F")
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*patt*"))) "" "F")
(command "draworder" (ssget "x" (list (cons 8 "*wall*"))) "" "F")
)

(defun c:do () (c:disorder))
(defun c:01 () (c:disorder))

************************************************** *

Command: disorder
draworder
Select objects: 10951 found

Select objects:
3 objects are not in the current space and have been removed from the selection
set.
Enter object ordering option [Above object/Under object/Front/Back] <Back>: B
Regenerating model.

Command: draworder
Select objects: 5077 found

Select objects:
Enter object ordering option [Above object/Under object/Front/Back] <Back>: F
Regenerating model.

Command: draworder
Select objects: 3523 found

Select objects:
Enter object ordering option [Above object/Under object/Front/Back] <Back>: F
Regenerating model.

Command: nil

************************************************** *

ok you GOT TO HAVE A MATCH in the (cons 8 "LYRNAMETEXTGOESHERE")

otherwise as i just spent 10 minutes chasing this down you will get an unknown command error returned etc and the lisp routine bombs out

got to get some coffee (let me know if this works)

Thanks

vizwhiz

[f700es]

Hey f700es, what other tid bits of interest are you hiding from us.
love the widows skin websites you posted.

All we need now is a groovy clear plastic cpu cover.

long live the mac. (i have a pc, purley for autocad. otherwise id be on a mac :lol: )

G

Hello GPC, me hide something? ;) Not me. No, really I think this board is one of the best board to belong to. I will tell all I know about CAD and anything else I can to anybody here.

So you liked WindowBlinds? Cool! I have been using them for sometime and have no problems what so ever. I have fooled a few people from time to time at work looking at my displays at work. They see AutoCAD on OS X and they are in shock (hehe :lol: ). They have an app that works similar to the Dock in OS X
http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/

Want some cool PC cases? www.colorcases.com

I used to be a Mac hater (I like OS X, I think it is in the direction Apple MUST go in to stay alive). I hate the way they hype up their products. I work with a Mac designer and his dual G4 and my P3 are the same age and I run circles around his (even in photoshop, he still is in shock). Now they are getting better and if they go with this new 64 bit chip from IBM they will be better they ever could be with Motorola. If they go this route and AutoDesk ever again does a mac version...I would try it. I think Apple needs a consumer tower but that is another discussion.
Take care friend.

F7

[gcp310]

Are, yes i have to agree with you there.
but i have to admit the 17" flatscreen all in one with dvd burner is pretty cool.

the dbate between mac & pc is much like Palm & MS Pocket pc, GM & Ford, McDs & Burgerking. everyone has their favorite. as a kid we were pretty lucky and my mac experience goes all the way back to the mac SE.
and while some of my friends battled thru ms dos & key strokes, mac was always simple.

nuf said for now.

G

[vizwhiz]

hi There

i thought This message Thread was about Draworder
i am getting automatic notifications that someone said something

about the Draworder Thread i presumed
yes i have to agree with you there that this is interesting

but could it be its own thread, please

i am not into the mac pc bashing pit at all
everyone has their own favorite as a kid

but i was expecting a reply more on the Topic

(not trying to be overly flaming)

Thanks

vizwhiz

[CADTutor]

You're right vizwhiz.

gcp310, that was way off topic. If you really must do the PC/MAC thing, the Chat forum is probably the best place.