Topic: "BYLAYER"

[Kerry]

Check out where the comment from Cadaver, quoting mick comes from. here

Yes daron, the link is to a post of Micks, the quote is Joney's.
... but I'm sure there will be a rational reason for it



 

[Krushert]

I have expierence this before in my previous job as a Manufacturing Engineer but on the paper work side of processing the job.  I know your frustration.

Advice on how to get it through their skulls that using bylayer is important...
Tell them to go into one of their worst creations and change the colour of the text layer to yellow.  Then show them how much easier it could have been if they had simply drawn everything BYLAYER.  Yes, they can use QSELECT, etc. to select all of the text, etc. but the standard is there for a reason... not just 'because'.

  Quick Select and CAB's routine will be your friends.  I Cant agree more for a beginning step

My only other advice would be to send each and every single drawing back to the offender and tell them to put everything back to bylayer, then resubmit it to you.

  Second Step.  M-Dub, Jonesy will need the speak softly  and carry the big stick of management.  If she doesn't have support of management, she will never be able to get any changes done with the engineers.  If you don't have the big stick you are wasting your time.

If they only do CAD occasionally and their skill level with AutoCAD is quite low and will likely never increase that much, chances are that they will never truly understand the benefit, so when they ask "Why is it so important to you?!" in their whiney voice, just tell them "Because it is..."

  The ultimate solution would be to enforce the standards through Customization.  That way the engineers can "design" <cough> and not worry about standards.  And you wont have to fight the new engineers that come on board.

My 2 cent opinion from my experience.  Convince management first then go after the offenders.  Management may even allow you to bill some time to customization.

[chance]

2. To stop the engineers questioning company standards, I need to explain why we have to draw bylayer... any advice please.

I worked for a firm in Camden,NJ....lovely spot....since it was by the waterfront and influenced heavily by cartels from South America....we would put the feet in concrete and then the concrete would go in the water....worked every time....but then again it was Camden....feel your pain when it comes to people question standards.....you could go to the top and ask for privileges to be revoked....like no IM or surfing the net....but then you might find your feet in concrete...good luck

[Bryco]

I saw quick select mentioned. With a simple test, it looks like you can do modelspace in one swoop.
Quick select->
Apply to entire drawing->
Object type=Multiple->Properties=Color->
Operator=<>Not Equal->
Value-> ByLayer

Now that they are all selected  set color in the properties window to ByLayer.

It seems that layouts need to be worked on one at a time though.

[pmvliet]

I feel your pain as well...
If they are breaking the company standard, I would just start documenting it and start logging how much time it is taking to fix. That is if it is your responsiblity to fix the issues.

Once you get a sizable amount of fixing time, go to your boss with an excel spreadsheet listing the drawings and how much time it is taking you to fix errors. You need to put it in terms of dollars so the higher up people can understand it.

The other side of the coin would be to have a routine that would automatically take all objects in a drawing and set all the properties to "Bylayer". You could even just have it in your back pocket and send a company wide memo that this routine will automatically run every 5 days on all drawings. Make it clear in your memo what this routine does, the reason for it and I am sure you will get some heads to turn. The people who complain are going to be your "bad eggs"...

Pieter

[Didge]

I would've agreed with most of the pro- "BYLAYER" comments here but after running CAB's utility on my latest drawing I feel somewhat ashamed of my own work.

WHERE DID ALL THOSE "NON-STANDARD" entities come from !!!!

CAB:  I suggest you add a percentage score and re-title it "How_Good_is_my_Draughting" 

[Krushert]

CAB:  I suggest you add a percentage score and re-title it "How_Good_is_my_Draughting" 

Most excellent Idea.

We subscribe to the By-Layer religion as well.  Most of our layers will use only one line type.  for the few individual entities  that need a different line type we just over ride the line type.  If I was to guess on a typical floor plan for an office I would say dozen entities are overridden when compared next to thosands of entities that are by-layer in a file.  But I would need a Cabs routine to know for sure.   

[jonesy]

The only thing the users here are supposed to over-ride is the linetype, and that is only when its for road markings... everything else should be bylayer.

[CADaver]

Check out where the comment from Cadaver, quoting mick comes from. here

Yes daron, the link is to a post of Micks, the quote is Joney's.
... but I'm sure there will be a rational reason for it

A missed "copy" in this thread and a misplaced "paste" from a previous thread post.  Flog me.... please.

[Kerry]

Have a play Tracey.
This will isolate entities drawn ByColor to new layers named for the Color.

May be easier to make changes from there.

Code: [Select]

(DEFUN c:seocl () (selecteverythingoncurrentlayer))
;;
(DEFUN selecteverythingoncurrentlayer (/ ss)
  (IF (SETQ ss (SSGET (LIST (CONS 8 (GETVAR "CLAYER")))))
    (COMMAND ".select" ss "")
  )
  (PRINC)
)



(DEFUN c:febc () (findentsbycolor))
;;
(DEFUN findentsbycolor (/
                        ;;
                        s:iacadlayers
                        ;;
                        _assertitem           _selset=>enames
                        _moveenttolayerwithcolor
                       )
  ;;
  ;; codehimbelonga kwb@TheSwamp
  ;;
  ;; Define layers collection Object
  (SETQ
    s:iacadlayers (VLA-GET-LAYERS
                    (VLA-GET-ACTIVEDOCUMENT (VLAX-GET-ACAD-OBJECT))
                  )
  )
  ;;
  ;;-------------------------------------------------------------
  ;; Ensure item exists in collection
  ;;
  (DEFUN _assertitem (collection item / returnvalue)
    (IF (NOT (VL-CATCH-ALL-ERROR-P
               (SETQ
                 returnvalue (VL-CATCH-ALL-APPLY 'VLA-ITEM
                                                 (LIST collection item)
                             )
               )
             )
        )
      returnvalue
    )
  )
  ;;
  ;;-------------------------------------------------------------
  ;; convert SELECTION set to LIST of e-names
  ;;
  (DEFUN _selset=>enames (sel / l len)
    (IF (= 'pickset (TYPE sel))
      (REPEAT (SETQ len (SSLENGTH sel))
        (SETQ len (1- len)
              l   (CONS (SSNAME sel len) l)
        )
      )
    )
  )
  ;;
  ;;-------------------------------------------------------------
  ;; Move entity to layer named by it's color
  ;;
  (DEFUN _moveenttolayerwithcolor (ename / o-ename layername o-layer)
    ;;
    ;; Convert ename to Object
    ;; Determine suitable LayerName
    ;;
    (SETQ o-ename   (VLAX-ENAME->VLA-OBJECT ename)
          layername (STRCAT "_BYCOLOR_" (ITOA (VLA-GET-COLOR o-ename)))
    )
    (IF (NOT (SETQ o-layer (_assertitem s:iacadlayers layername)))
      (PROGN ;;
             ;; Add the Layer to the Layer Collection
             ;;
             (SETQ o-layer (VLA-ADD s:iacadlayers layername))
             ;;
             ;; Set the Layer color
             ;;
             (VLA-PUT-COLOR o-layer (VLA-GET-COLOR o-ename))
      )
    )
    (IF o-layer
      ;;
      ;; put the object on the layer
      ;;
      (PROGN (VLA-PUT-LAYER o-ename layername)
             (PROMPT (STRCAT "\n Moved entity to Layer " layername))
      )
      ;; else
      (PROMPT (STRCAT "\n Unable to assign entity to Layer " layername)
      )
    )
  )
  ;;
  ;;-------------------------------------------------------------
  ;;
  ;; Main Entry Point
  ;;
  ;;
  ;;
  (IF (SETQ enameslist (_selset=>enames
                         (SSGET (LIST '(-4 . "<not")
                                      '(62 . 256)                ; BYcolor
                                      '(-4 . "not>")
                                      (CONS 410 (GETVAR "ctab")) ; In the Current space only
                                )
                         )
                       )
      )
    (FOREACH ename enameslist
      (_moveenttolayerwithcolor ename)
      (REDRAW ename 3)                                           ; highlight the ent
    )
  )
  (PRINC)
)
(PROMPT
  "\n c:FEBC < Find Ents by color >  and \n c:SEOCL < Select Everything on current layer >\n"
)
(PRINC)



[Kerry]

And the obligatory piccy ..

[Big G]

what about removing the 'color' toolbar from the screen leaving only the layer one.....might eliminate some of the random colour changes, agreed they could still change the colour from the layer DIA but it would be easier to just pick the appropriate layer

(aps. if you have already thought of this)

[jonesy]

Thanks Big G... I hadn't thought about that method. BUT I'm gonna give Kerry's routine a try in a couple of minutes.

By proving the engineers are consistently doing it wrong, it might add credence to a purely cad team (which is the way they said they wanted to run)

[jonesy]

Thanks Kerry, that works a treat.

[Kerry]

Great! I thought it would suit you ... Could do with a little refinement but seems like a good start.