AutoCAD For Dummies, 17th Edition

Chapter 9

Manage Your Properties

IN THIS CHAPTER

Managing object properties, such as color, linetype, and lineweight

Managing layers

Copying layers and other named objects between drawings with DesignCenter

Contrary to what you might believe, managing properties has nothing to do with real estate holdings. CAD programs are different from other drawing programs in that you have to pay attention to little details, such as object properties or the precision of points that are specified when you draw and edit objects. If you ignore these details and start drawing, you’ll produce a mess of sloppy geometry that’s difficult to edit, view, and plot.

This chapter introduces object properties — one set of AutoCAD tools and techniques that can help prevent you from making CAD messes. Chapter 8 explains the most important precision drawing techniques that you need to observe to create usable AutoCAD drawings. You must understand the information in Chapters 8 and 9 before you start drawing and editing objects in production drawings (described in Chapters 6, 7, 10, and 11).

When you first start using AutoCAD, the number of property settings and precision controls necessary to draw a simple line can seem intimidating. Unlike in many other programs, you cannot simply draw a line in a more-or-less-adequate location and then slap some color on it. But all these settings and controls can inspire the feeling that you have to learn how to drive a Formula 1 car to make a trip down to the corner store. ...