Topic: VISRETAIN - System Variable

[Mark]

Code: [Select]

Controls the properties of xref-dependent layers.

Type: Integer
Saved in: Drawing
Initial value: 1
Controls visibility, color, linetype, lineweight, and plot styles.


[Lee Mac]

I vote 1.

In my opinion xref geometry & content should be displayed appropriately in each drawing in which it is referenced; the appearance of xref layers for one drawing may not necessarily be appropriate for another (for example, xref layer colours may need to be 'dimmed' in a drawing for which the xref geometry should be displayed, but not take precendence over other more important information). Hence VISRETAIN=1 allows refinement on a per-drawing basis.

[ribarm]

1+

Out of topic, I always wanted to plot Xrefs within other model space geometry, but like xref attached fade representation... Is this possible - or I must still modify layers transparencies manually?

[ronjonp]

I prefer 0 unless I need to control layers in viewports. I like that what I see in my design file, I'll see in plot files. Although this could be changed if I plotted out of my design file .... anyhoo.

[lamarn]

Mostly 1 for 2d drawings. 0 in a  the structure of xref-3d models. I could see the use a seperate visretain for just alone the transparency of layers 0/1 for 3d. I use Giles, fix block routine often to get blockdata into 'layer shape'..

[BlackBox]

I prefer 0 unless I need to control layers in viewports.

This.

I have yet to find a simpler way to manage a plan set, where VISRETAIN == 0 is used for the majority of sheets that make up our Civil plans (paving, grading, and drainage), and VISRETAIN == 1 is used for the remaining sheets (as required; not needed for detail only sheets, etc.).


Cheers

[HasanCAD]

It is important for Arch. & struc. drawings to be 1. But for other departments it should be 0.
all other departments need to show they work and all other to be fade.

[MSTG007]

I vote 1, but it would still be nice IF there was a way to set the visretain to 0 just to reload "Linetypes" and hold the current colors of the xref's. They only way I found around it is with layer filters and scripts.

[Lee Mac]

Just Linetypes you say...  

[MSTG007]

AHHHHH.... I should have know!! lol. Well, all I got to say is "1".

[lamarn]

Would it be possible to add 'transparency of layer' in your code as option, Lee?

[Lee Mac]

Would it be possible to add 'transparency of layer' in your code as option, Lee?

If I recall, the original code was written to be entirely compatible with ObjectDBX, and unfortunately there is no way to configure the transparency of a layer without going through the LAYER command which would remove this compatibility.

[roy_043]

... there is no way to configure the transparency of a layer without going through the LAYER command which would remove this compatibility.

In BricsCAD changing the transparency of a layer is a case of simply changing its Xdata. Assuming BricsCAD is compatible with 'the other product', and I am counting on this, this should therefore also be possible in a DBX context.

Code - Auto/Visual Lisp: [Select]

1. (_Data_ObjectXdataSet
2.   lyrObj
3.   "AcCmTransparency"
4.   (if (/= val 33554687) (list (cons 1071 val))) ; Remove Xdata if transparency is 0%.
5. )

[Lee Mac]

... there is no way to configure the transparency of a layer without going through the LAYER command which would remove this compatibility.

In BricsCAD changing the transparency of a layer is a case of simply changing its Xdata. Assuming BricsCAD is compatible with 'the other product', and I am counting on this, this should therefore also be possible in a DBX context.

Code - Auto/Visual Lisp: [Select]

1. (_Data_ObjectXdataSet
2.   lyrObj
3.   "AcCmTransparency"
4.   (if (/= val 33554687) (list (cons 1071 val))) ; Remove Xdata if transparency is 0%.
5. )

In my limited testing this does not appear to be the case in AutoCAD: the xdata associated with a layer will of course yield the correct transparency value, but appending/modifying such xdata seems to have no effect on the transparency of the layer.

[BlackBox]

The only real issue with 1 that I have, is the dependency on Layer States, which even with the Layerstate-* LispFunctions does not properly reload from .LAS file (one for each sheet type in a given plan set).

That, and Civil 3D Objects can have undesired results (example: Station Offset labels for an alignment?), when layers are frozen vs being turned off, etc which is just a PITA.