TheSwamp

CAD Forums => CAD General => Topic started by: craigr on October 14, 2008, 02:30:48 PM

Title: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 14, 2008, 02:30:48 PM
We often get floorplans from other Engineers, that we need to 'clean' the dwg of everything but the doors, walls, windows, etc..

We then take everything and put it on a new layer we name 'Floorplan'. We then purge all of the other layers.

A longstanding problem has been that every now and then, we find layer(s) that we cannot purge. I usually use the 'erase all' option, but sometimes this doesn't work. Even the qselect doesn't always do it. Of course we explode everthing as much as possible.

I recently figured out a way to find these 'phantom' entities on the bad layers, but today I don't remember what it was. Do any of you have another idea of how to find them?

At this point, I just copied the parts I want to a new title block and replace the old - but I would rather not have to  go thru the process.

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: New Shooz on October 14, 2008, 02:40:35 PM
try using LAYWALK, and then LAYDEL, once you have identified entities on the layer(s) you wish to delete
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 14, 2008, 02:41:29 PM
try using LAYWALK, and then LAYDEL, once you have identified entities on the layer(s) you wish to delete

That is the problem, we can't find anything on that layer.

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 14, 2008, 02:45:32 PM
Duh...

I just remembered how....

I drew a line on the layer that I want to get rid of, then selected it then 'delete layer'.

Sorry to waste your time, - I must have had a 'brain fart'.

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Gliderider on October 14, 2008, 03:19:07 PM
The Laydel has a Name option so you can pick the layer from a dialog box (at least 2008 does).
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Kate M on October 14, 2008, 03:25:36 PM
LAYMRG is also helpful in this situation -- merge the offending layer with one you want to keep to be sure you don't lose any data that might be hiding on that layer.
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: dtkell on October 14, 2008, 03:38:40 PM
And when all else fails, go to Owen Wengerd's Manusoft.com for 'SuperPurge', because it does super purge.
It will purge layers that have no entities but still otherwise cannot be deleted.
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: M-dub on October 14, 2008, 03:41:31 PM
LAYMRG is also helpful in this situation -- merge the offending layer with one you want to keep to be sure you don't lose any data that might be hiding on that layer.

That's a nice tip, Kate.  :)
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 16, 2008, 08:22:56 AM
LAYMRG is also helpful in this situation -- merge the offending layer with one you want to keep to be sure you don't lose any data that might be hiding on that layer.

Alright, I tried the 'LayMrg' command - a couple of times.

Either I am doing something wrong or I don't understand what it does.

I have two layers, one called 'Pink' & the other 'Green'. I would like to eliminate 'Pink' by merging it into 'Green'.
So I do the LayMrg command and select Pink, then hit enter then select Green and hit enter. - Nothing has changed.

Did I do something wrong? Am I misunderstanding what this command does?

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Alan Cullen on October 16, 2008, 08:31:23 AM
use qselect based on layer "pink" and change every there to layer "green".

Change...P.....P...LA...GREEN....

done......

Oh..and then PURGE...just to get rid of empty layer "pink"...hoping no blocks were bought in on layer pink.......woot.....

Craig...stop dreaming about Pacific paradises......  :lmao: :lmao:
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 16, 2008, 08:43:21 AM
Craig...stop dreaming about Pacific paradises......  :lmao: :lmao:

I thought of you this morning as I was scraping the HEAVY frost off the windows of my Truck - :)

As for the CAD, what I am actually trying to do is...
I have a dwg from some other company that has the room name & room number as a block with attributes, they are on 2 different layers and 2 different colors.

I want to put them on my 'standard' layer called 'roomnumbers' and have everything bylayer color.

If I explode their block, I lose the name & number. I tried going into the block editor and changing everthing from there, but that didn't work either.

I run into this often, and would LOVE to find a solution. I thought the LayMrg was it.

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: New Shooz on October 16, 2008, 08:45:12 AM
did you ATTSYNC after exiting the block editor ?
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 16, 2008, 08:46:28 AM
did you ATTSYNC after exiting the block editor ?

Apparently, that is not an option in LT.

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Alan Cullen on October 16, 2008, 08:56:25 AM
Omaha, we have a problem.......

LT doesn't have what I was about to suggest.....

*sucks up with baby koala and stays away from the real world*

hell...it's my paradise...I can beat it, thump it, love it, as hard and as fast as I want.

Mawhawhaw
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Matt__W on October 16, 2008, 08:58:09 AM
did you ATTSYNC after exiting the block editor ?

Apparently, that is not an option in LT.

craigr

Have you considered buying a real version of AutoCAD?   :roll:
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 16, 2008, 08:59:35 AM
Not my dime..

Believe me, if I could have the 'real' thing, I would. - I get tired of being bit by that snake.

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Alan Cullen on October 16, 2008, 09:01:22 AM
Blue...go check out the FAQ on the difference between LT and full blown. If it's not up to date, then tell Tiger to pull her finger out and update it. Second thoughts...don't do that unless you like the smell of fish on your face.... :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: sinc on October 16, 2008, 09:45:40 AM
I have two layers, one called 'Pink' & the other 'Green'. I would like to eliminate 'Pink' by merging it into 'Green'.
So I do the LayMrg command and select Pink, then hit enter then select Green and hit enter. - Nothing has changed.


After you select the second layer and hit ENTER, Autocad should prompt you with:
Code: [Select]
******** WARNING ********
You are about to merge layer "Pink" into layer "Green".
Do you wish to continue? [Yes/No] <No>:

If you simply hit ENTER at that point, the command will be aborted and nothing will happen.  You must answer YES.
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 16, 2008, 09:54:19 AM
Yep, that is just what I am doing, but it doesn't change either one.

When I do this, shouldn't both be on the 'pink' layer?

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 16, 2008, 02:08:25 PM
See the attached..

THIS is what I am talking about. - Of course there are MANY of these throughout the dwg.

I want only ONE layer called 'RoomNumbers'.

How can I get this?

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Rob... on October 16, 2008, 02:14:45 PM
Draw 2 lines, 1 on artag and 1 on RoomNumbers. Use Layer Merge and select the line on artag, right click, then select the 1 on RoomNumbers. Right click and type "y".
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: craigr on October 16, 2008, 02:43:38 PM
That is what I have been doing all along - I SWEAR.

So, I followed your instructions to the letter on the dwg that I posted - and it worked!!!

So I went back to my original dwg and tried it there and it didn't work. I 'craps out' without an error. I just doesn't give you the confirmation option to answer yes or no.

So I know there must be a difference between the two dwgs.

After trying several things, I discovered that when a layer in my original dwg called 'TITLE_BLOCK' is locked, LayMrg doesn't work. As soon as I unlock it, LayMrg works fine.

I don't know why that would make a difference, but it does.

Thanks for the help though, at least I can have what I want now.

EDITED ----

Now I think it has to do with a block on that 'Title_Block' Layer.

If I delete that copyright block - The LayMrg works.

It must be something about that Block - near as I can figure.

craigr
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Kate M on October 16, 2008, 04:03:13 PM
did you ATTSYNC after exiting the block editor ?

Apparently, that is not an option in LT.

craigr

Have you considered buying a real version of AutoCAD?   :roll:
:pissed:

 :wink:
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Slim© on October 16, 2008, 05:20:23 PM
Maybe try LAYTRANS. It transfers entities from one layer to another and then deletes the one that is empty.
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Kate M on October 16, 2008, 05:50:06 PM
Maybe try LAYTRANS. It transfers entities from one layer to another and then deletes the one that is empty.
Not an LT command. :| (It's part of the Standards management tools.)
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: T.Willey on October 16, 2008, 05:58:19 PM
How would you change the layer of an attribute in LT?  I don't know of a way ( without code ), and that may help in the future, as that seems to be what is the problem in the block posted in this thread.
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: mjfarrell on October 16, 2008, 06:06:17 PM
would LT not support ATTEDIT?
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: T.Willey on October 16, 2008, 06:13:12 PM
would LT not support ATTEDIT?
I thought was the way, but when I tried it this morning it didn't have the layer prompt, but now it did.  Attedit didn't do it on my system, but -attedit did.

Edit: Not LT tested.
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Kate M on October 17, 2008, 02:26:28 PM
How would you change the layer of an attribute in LT?  I don't know of a way ( without code ), and that may help in the future, as that seems to be what is the problem in the block posted in this thread.
Block editor.
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: T.Willey on October 17, 2008, 03:52:13 PM
How would you change the layer of an attribute in LT?  I don't know of a way ( without code ), and that may help in the future, as that seems to be what is the problem in the block posted in this thread.
Block editor.
But once the block is inserted, the layer of the attributes can be changed to any layer.  Wouldn't the block editor only change the attribute definition's layer?  And not the one that is inserted ( and associated with a inserted block )?
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: Kate M on October 17, 2008, 05:19:28 PM
Ah, right. I don't remember where I heard about this first, but if you hold down CTRL and select an attribute, you can get the Properties dialog to show the properties for the attribute, not the block. Way cool. :kewl:
Title: Re: I don't remember how...
Post by: T.Willey on October 17, 2008, 06:24:48 PM
That does sounds cool, but it didn't work for me.  It looks like it wants to, but it didn't show the attribute in the property dialog box.  I say it wants to because it prints, to the command line, <cycle on> <cycle off>, which I interpret as meaning cycle through the entities.