Topic: Why so many layers?

[craigr]

This isn't meant as a criticizim as much as just for my curiousity.

I often get floor plans from other contractors with all furniture / equipment / room names / room numbers, etc... on their own layers.

There are often well over 200+ layers in these dwgs.

I understand the obvious ones like the furniture, room numbers, etc... But, they often have 3 different layers for a door, 'door swing', 'a-door', 'door case'. One dwg I worked on last week had every door with it's own layer! - That dwg had ton's of layers!

I always spend the time to move all walls & doors to my own layer 'floorPlan'. Then purge theirs. (These dwgs are inserted into our own, not returned to them).

I know that our industry is different from the Architectural industry. I am just curious why people are 'layer happy'.

Thanks in advance,
craigr

[Greg B]

Now where is that Monkey thread??   Hmm, might have been on a different forum.


Ok the quick breakdown!

5 monkeys in a pen.

Put a banana out for them and when they go to get the banana, spray them down with water.

Do this for a week or so.

Take one of the monkeys out and replace it with a brand new monkey.

Place the banana out.

When the new monkey goes for the banana, the other monkeys surround it and beat the pulp out of it.

Let it go a week.

Replace another monkey and the same thing happens with the old "new" monkey joining in the beating.

eventually replace all the orginal monkeys and the same behaviour happens even though none of the "new" monkeys ever experienced the water.

[craigr]

Huh?

craigr

[Greg B]

Basically some monkey set up the layering system and as new monkeys came in they adopted it even if it wasn't pratical because it was beaten into them.

[MP]

Wow, I posted that about 10 years ago on Autodesk's (now defunct) "Take 5" forum!

Now where is that Monkey thread??   Hmm, might have been on a different forum.

Ok the quick breakdown!

5 monkeys in a pen ...

[Greg B]

or


http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3323/is_5_40/ai_n6071214

[CottageCGirl]

The other possiblity is that 3 or 4 stubborn people have worked on the plan and all think their way is the best way and just add to the mess.  OR. they copy things from old drawings which bring in their own layers-- send them a note about the layer translater - it has saved my sanity many a-time.....

[glee]

Well it sounds like the files you are getting are a little layer happy.
A maybe overtly simplistic explanantion on my part.  There are others who have written about this way, way better than me. 
Architectural drawings tend to be used as the base for different disciplines.  So the different layers are created so that when an MEP or PE or civil uses our drawings as a base, they can screen the colors of the x-ref by layer.
Plus we tend to use our plans for reflected ceiling plans (rcp) and sometimes as the roof plan.  So we have the different layers we can turn on or off depending on the type of drawings we are using.  Either that or everything is a separate file and x-reffed together and then somebody will wonder why we are file happy.  So walls are a certain layer but if you are doing an RCP, you have to be able to turn off or freeze the doors and windows and then fill in the gaps with a header.  Same with the roofs, you don't need to see a lot of the stuff below, so you freeze them.  It's also why sometimes, people do draw roof plans on their own file.  But we have many different types of sheets we need to generate, so the diferent layers help us control what is displayed.  Some firms use their own layer standards, some have whoever draws it standards, some have no standards, some don't know what standards are, some use the AIA layer standards, some the national CAD standards and some use a combination.
Decent companies will have a standard that is available for everyone on the team, including consultants to use as a guide and understand where everyone is coming from.  Ours was based on sitting down with our regular structural, civil, MEPS over a few days to hash things out.  basically a standard based on consensus.  It seems to work and everyone is happy to date.  And since it was done this way, if their caddies complain, we never have to say a thing.  They jump down their throats themselves. 
Maybe when Revit does become the industry 900lb gorrilla, we may have this worked out.  Then we get to create a new bunch of monkeys. 

[pmvliet]

The fact that doors are on each of it's own layer tells me that some type of third party application was used to insert the doors. It all depends though...

Layering us good but at times I believe it is used in excess. I also believe that if a person or company puts some thought into layer creation they could in save lots of time, coordination and accuracy of drawings.

Each company will have different standarads and even more people will do what they want...

If you don't need any layering capabilities for the architectural drawings, put everything on one layer.

Pieter

[TimSpangler]

Well, I can explain some of it. (Maybe :kewl:)  I once asked an Arch the same question and the reason I got was that, he used the layers to print differant thickness lines (like a distance thing)  If it was important ie WALLS they were heavy, HATCH was very light, doors and furn. etc were med, and door swing, glaz (window glass) etc was light.  Now bear in mind there were like 6 differant sizes for light, 6 differant sizes for med , and so on, it was all based on importance and visual awareness.  Another reason is that it is alot easier to move 3 layers to 1 layer but it is more difficult to move 1 layer to 3.  Also some of them guys use 3rd party or personally written routines that create layers automatically.  I personally use alot of layers but end up moving thing around alot.

[craigr]

Also some of them guys use 3rd party or personally written routines that create layers automatically.

That explains why some of the layers make no sense to me - '40305800_DD_Base_1stFlPlan$0$x-wall'

Most of the time I can figure out what they are, but sometimes I don't even try.

Thanks for all of the responses,
craigr

[jonesy]

Craig, I beleive those layer names may have come from an Xref that has been bound into the drawing, by using the Bind option rather than the insert option.

[PHX cadie]

Aleast those are some good reasons, just opened a dwg to red line, (314 layers, all white except the text, yellow)
Think I found those monkeys   :ugly:

[craigr]

Give those monkey's a spanking!

craigr

[PHX cadie]

What happens in ones cubie....stays in ones cubie