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can't select viewport


nowikovs12

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Hi there, this is very anoying as I can't select a viewport. For instance if it is on layer blue I will be able to select it resize and so on, but as soon as I move it across to defpoint layer it will no logner be selectable, the frame will be there, but I wont be able to select it or move it. Unles I control - z and it is back to layer blue. Could someone please explain why this is happening? I have tried to switch on off the lock and freeze options for defpoint layer, nothing happens. This is the first time it has ever happened to me. Please help :ouch:

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You should not be placing entities on the Defpoints layer. It is created by AutoCAD once a dimension is added to a drawing. The layer does not plot and very often times you'll find that selecting anything on the layer is a bear.

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First, make sure layer 0 is on/thawed. If so, look at the Defpoints layer. If it's not frozen or locked, could it be turned off? How are you changing the viewport's layer? What type of viewport is it? Could the "frame" you mention be a second viewport on a different layer?

 

Have you tried saving, leaving AutoCAD, and reloading? How about rebooting your computer? For the really weird symptoms, sometimes that's all it takes.

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Thank you for the tip reMark, hi Cyber angel, layer 0 is on, I don't quite understand what is thawed? the defpoints layer is on, regarding to changing viewports layer, all I did, to make sure that the viewport frame doesn't apear in the plot is selected viewport (I have only one viewport in the layout) and moved it over to defpoints layer by using the small black arrow in the toolbar by layers. Yes I saved the file, closed autocad, and opened again the issue remains. I restarted the computer and it has fixed the problem, now when I select that viewport and move it to defpoints the frame of viewport is still accesable, but I will fallow ReMarks advice not to add viewports to defpoints layer. How can I make a layer simmilar to defpoints? so that when I select the viewport and drag it to a layer, the frame of viewport remains visible but when plotted disapears? thanks for your help CyberAngel :thumbsup:

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To create a layer with the same no-plot property as Defpoints, give it a name, a color, etc. in the Layer Manager. Then find the column named Plot, which has a small printer icon. Notice that the icon for the Defpoint layer has a red NO symbol across it. Click on the icon for your layer, and it will also have a NO symbol (click it again to make it plottable). Be careful about using no-plot layers, and check the no-plot property when you have plotting problems.

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right :D ,.... ok I found everything, and yes it has like a little red circle, I tested it and just turned the red circle on for some of my line layers, when I plot the view those specific layers don't apear on the paper, which is what I wanted, but the defpoints layer has the printer icon faded out rather then red circle next to it, why is that? Thank you for your time and help CyberAngel :lol:

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defpoints layer has the printer icon faded out rather then red circle next to it, why is that?

 

Just one of those Autodesk things, in older versions if you turned a layer to not plot then it greyed out the little plotter icon - so the defpoints plotter icon was always greyed out.

In later versions you get a red line or cross thru the turned off plotter icons but they never got round to changing the defpoints plotter icon.

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Actually the Defpoints layer is always set to non-plot. You cannot change it (that's why it's greyed out - i.e. to show you you can't change it). To add to ReMark's advise, the Defpoints layer is a special purpose layer defined by ADesk themselves, it's only to be used by specialized objects inside ACad (such as dimensions). ADesk actually warns about not using Defpoints at all, since they may have to modify the working of that layer at a later stage (if they add some new functionality).

 

Here are (IMO) two major reasons why it's a bad idea to use Defpoints:

 

  • If either Defpoints (which is a derivative of layer 0) or layer 0 is turned off, frozen or locked, entities may become un-selectable (on either layer or even on other layers). It's a quirk from some of the functionality of layer 0. For this reason it's also not good to turn off, freeze / lock layer 0 or Defpoints at all.
  • If you place anything on Defpoints / Layer 0 you cannot change that layer's visibility / lock status if you xref it into another dwg ... unless you do so to the 2nd DWG's relevant layers as well. This breaks a big plus on xrefs.

I've even found entities on other layers becoming un-selectable (especially VPs, but also text) if I've placed anything on Defpoints, or simply frozen / turned off layer 0 or defpoints. It's even happened that the entities become permanently un-selectable, thus turning 0 / Defpoints back on (or thawing / unlocking) doesn't fix this. The only work-around I've found to fix these problem objects in these instances is to Copy, select all by typing ALL, Remove by crossing those which are still selectable, @0,0. And then erase previous. I wish I knew what happens to make this occur, I'd actually want this functionality for some specialized entities of my own - i.e. make them un-selectable on purpose :wink:.

 

You should also (mostly) never use layer 0. The only time you should allow yourself to use it is when you're creating / editing a block - when you want the linework (or whatever) to accept the layer properties on which the block will be placed.

 

And saying you never turn off / freeze layer 0 / Defpoints is not necessarily correct. There's a problem with the LayFrz / LayOff / LayLck commands. When you have their settings / block selection turned to Entity you may just be freezing / turning off / locking the layer 0 (or Defpoints if you're using it) without you even noticing. So be careful when using these commands, they do stuff without you knowing it (unless you read the command line carefully), which may cause problems.

 

There "shouldn't" be any reason for you to use Defpoints anyway, since you can turn plotting off for any layer (as shown by others in this post). I usually have a dedicated viewport layer which is always non-plot. Sometimes I also have a construction layer on which I place stuff like hatch boundaries, area polylines, etc. But the point is you can have any layer(s) you wish and it won't have the problems associated with Defpoints. The only reason people tend to use Defpoints is that it's already there, and for those older guys :P because in much older ACads (e.g. R14 - in the 90's) there was no non-plot property for a layer - so they're "used to it".

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