The Amazing Disappearing Layer Trick

Ok, CAD gurus. Put on your thinking caps because this one is a bundle of fun. FYI, I am using AutoCAD LT 2012.

For your reference:

Drawing 1.dwg

Drawing 2.dwg

The Scene of the Crime: I open Drawing 1 model space and copy some objects to Drawing 2 model space. Typically the layer properties of those objects from Drawing 1 come along with it and situate themselves in Drawing 2. Yet, I seem to have a problem with the layers occasionally ******ing off in Drawing 2. The pasted objects appear as normal in the second drawing, and when I click on them, the layer name comes up in the drop-down layer menu on the Home tab. Yet, when I deselect objects on that layer and go back to the drop down menu, it is no longer listed even though the objects appear as normal. When I open the Layer Properties menu, the layers aren't listed there, either. If I were to turn off the layer, I cannot access it again to turn it back on again because I can't find it in any menus. If I try to create a new layer in the Layer Properties window with the same name as the renegade layer, it doesn't let me because it claims there is a layer with that name already there....lies!

That is the amazing disappearing portion of the show. But wait! Stick around for Act II of this convoluted conundrum.

Just when I thought there is no hope, I went to LAYDEL where the layers miraculously appear as normal, ready to be discarded as if they had been there the whole time. Yet, when I return to looking for them in the previously mentioned locations, they still aren't there. ....really?

How do I make them appear in their layer menu and properties window? I tried singing, "Come out, Come out, wherever you are, and meet the young lady who drafts from a far" but it didn't seem to help. This is not an isolated incident. This has happened on several drawings and it is clearly driving me crazy. Can you help? I don't understand what is going on and it is making me have to CTRL+Z a bunch of work to find those pasted objects again (because the layer was turned off and since I can't click on it, I can't get it to reappear in the menu). Besides creating a layer with a slightly different name and reallocating those objects to the new layer every time I have this issue, I would like this issue to not happen or have a quick fix. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

Thank you!

Catharine

What are the layer name(s) this happens with? Post a drawing.

Kinda, sorta sounds like your Layer Properties Manager has a Layer Filter selected instead of All (Layers), no?

I just uploaded the file and shows up in the original post at the beginning. Thank you for looking!

You will probably need to post the drawings (1 & 2) for this one.

OK, you've done that, but some details might help:

Are both drawings created by you on the same machine?

What at are the layer names that you don't want to change, that is, which layers are giving you trouble?

My co-worker just tried opening it and he says he can see them just fine (he is using AutoCAD LT 2010). My concern about this being more than just a corrupted file is that as I mentioned earlier, this has happened repeatedly, before and after reinstalls.

I have re-uploaded both drawings to the original post. Both drawings were made by me using CAD LT2012 on the same machine. I don't know if my co-worker had ever opened Drawing 1 to do work which might have been saved. He is running LT 2010.

In this context, I am having problems with the beams layers: "Major N-S Beams 24' oc", "Minor N-S Beams 24" oc", "E-W Beams 8' oc"

As Black Box stated, it sounds like a layer filter has been selected.

BRILLIANT!

This is why y'all are Forum Deities (and I am the newbie). I can always count on you to help me decode these issues.

THANK YOU!

Cheers,

Catharine