Help with transparencies for polylines

[CADnewbie]

I am trying to find out how to make polylines in AutoCAD 2008/2009 transparent. When the document is in paperspace, the lines are transparent, but when I use the CHSPACE command to take those lines to model space, it loses that transparency. Is it even possible in AutoCAD to make a polyline transparent? Also, linetype generation under the properties menu is enabled...

[lpseifert]

Draworder > Back or Under objects

Not really transparent but ...

[ReMark]

Why does the line have to be transparent in the first place? What are you trying to accomplish?

[f700es]

Yeah, no real way to do this in AutoCAD. I wish there was. Something like in Adobe Illustrator would ROCK!!

[CADnewbie]

Well, it has to do with having a polyline designated as a fault line. We need to have a 10-meter offset on each side so rather than having 2 polylines used to designate the 20-meter distance we would rather have a transparent thick pline. We have tried to send to the back but it doesn't work very well. I just don't understand why it is transparent in paperspace but won't work in model space...

[ReMark]

Would a 20 meter wide polyline with "fill" turned off work? Or...

 

How about putting the lines on a separate layer and assign a really light color to it (or come up with a custom color)?

[CADnewbie]

I think that is how we have to do it...it would be a neat feature for AutoCAD though! Maybe in another version! Thanks for the help!!

[ReMark]

Could this be of some use? I came across it in AutoCAD Help.

 

"You can also fade the objects on a locked layer. This serves the following two purposes:

• You can easily see what objects are on locked layers.
  
• You can reduce the visual complexity of a drawing but still maintain visual reference and object snapping capabilities to those objects.

The LAYLOCKFADECTL system variable controls the fading applied to locked layers. Locked layers that are faded are plotted normally."

[CADnewbie]

I will give it a try! Thanks for still looking into our issue!

[ReMark]

You're welcomed CADnewbie. One never knows where a new nugget of information will be found. And, in this case, I actually was able to remember your thread and get the info back to you (which is pretty rare given the state of my memory, LOL). Glad to be of service. Let us know if this works for you or not.