What different layers should I use?

[chriswren96]

Pretty basic question, but i'm a student and i'm drawing a museum on Autocad. Basically what different layers should I have?

 

Other than the obvious ones, doors, walls and fittings, are there any more layers I should have? I'm a bit confused as to which bits require different line weights etc.

 

So far I have walls, fittings, doors, stairs and windows. What's like the proffessional standard? Also what line weights and colours are associated with different groups/layers. I will be printing at both 1/500 and 1/200.

 

Thanks.

[ScribbleJ]

Line weights depends on what needs to stand out and what needs to be in the background but it also depends on the discipline your working in. By your descriptions I'm going to assume it is architecture. Each drawing sheet has something that is the main focus which should be the heavier line weights with all others being lighter depending on their significants to the drawing. The key here is to make sure that the part you want to be the focus the heavier line weight.

 

Edit:

If your printing in color someone else will have to give their input as far as architecture goes. I'm in the civil discipline and have only plotted mapping in color for presentations. Color is another challenge all on its own. There are many variables to it.

[Dana W]

I usually use a different layer for each of dimensions, notes, walls, doors, windows, electrical, furniture, appliances, etc. as the very basics, then add more for each perceived catagory I might come up with as I work.

 

There are standards out there, but I have not worked in an office environment for a number of years, so my layers are my own and I match my line weight differential to what I was used to as a pencil and velum drafter back in the day when I did work in somebody elses office.

 

AutoCAD has some architectural drawings in the sample folder, check out what thier layers look like.

[MikeScott]

Line weights depends on what needs to stand out and what needs to be in the background but it also depends on the discipline your working in. By your descriptions I'm going to assume it is architecture. Each drawing sheet has something that is the main focus which should be the heavier line weights with all others being lighter depending on their significants to the drawing. The key here is to make sure that the part you want to be the focus is heavier than the rest.

 

Just to take this explanation a step further.. I've found that lineweights in the availible list in AutoCAD are too similar to really show up as being different from one another. I generally skip one entry between each line weight, so it "pops" nicely. If I skip two, it pops even more. Three though, and it becomes a bit distracting.

 

Text can be affected pretty strongly by the line thicknesses used.. I recommend testing settings based on how big you want the text to be printed. I tend to use green for this layer when I use it.

 

Layer names are whatever you want them to be.. Most companies have standards set by whomever runs their CAD department. Some basic standards they indicate in schools are: OBJECT, TEXT, and GUIDELINES

 

The Object Layer contains the objects. The dimensions/ notations /text go on the TEXT layer, and the Guidelines layer is for alignment stuff that you don't want to print, or at least don't want it to print very strongly.

 

Personally, I do a layer for objects which also contains my text, and then have a layer anytime I want to change linetypes, Line thicknesses and/or line colors. For example I use a Layer called "HIDDEN" and it holds my dashed lines that I have set to print thick, but in grey. Whenever I'm illustrating something concealed behind the visible surface, I do it on that HIDDEN layer.

 

Oddly enough.. when I do sheetmetal drawings, I use the same "HIDDEN" layer to hold all my bendlines in my layouts. I shouldn't do that, but it's something the other draftsmen recognize, and we all know what will happen to lines on that layer, so it keeps us on the same page.

 

Anyways.. My "GUIDELINES" layer is something I now call "NOPLOT" and I reserve the color red so that whenever I see RED, I know it won't be printed.

 

I changed it from "GUIDELINES" because someone needed to show centerlines and stuff on one of my drawings, and thought that by changing the "guidelines" layer so that it printed, it would take care of the situation... It did, but also threw all kinds of other stuff all over the drawings at the plotters.

 

The boss wasn't happy, and so I made the change to 'NOPLOT" and it's now our company standard that red means "don't plot".. If they want something made visible that's on that layer, they change it's layer now.