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LayerKeyStyle 2013 - Joshua Benoist?

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Message 1 of 7
mdhutchinson
776 Views, 6 Replies

LayerKeyStyle 2013 - Joshua Benoist?

Joshua...

 

I thought I saw a post by you addressing the number of layerkeys in 2013 key style...

I can't seem to find the post.

 

At any rate, I thought 2013 had fewer?  or is it the least number of keys that are necessary in the out of the box display system?

 

I just did a count between OOTB 2012 and 2013... 2012 MEP Object - AIA 256 Color has 1495 and 2013 has 1507.

 

can you refresh my memory?  how has the layer key system improved in 2013?

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Message 2 of 7

Mike,

The keys were changed to support the new display layer keys.  The displays used to have layers in layer manager.  29 of them.  We looked at the 29 and asked ourselves what can we combine and simplify.  So where we had layers for (I'm going off top my head, not looking at 2012 layers), something like E-Cndt-Std-High and M-Duct-Std-High, we combined those layers onto one single layer key mapped top a G-Anno-Std-Hidn.  We also combined -High and -Subd which were really just Hidden line layers.  Put them on -Hidd or -Hidn per NCS standards. 

 

There were other opportunities to combine layers for centerlines, hatch patterns, etc.  So the original 29 layers in layer manager reduced down to a handful of new layer keys (with layers).  The new layer key names start with "G-DS-..." for General Display System layers.  I had this concept to add layer keys to display components back when we made the layer keys in the 2007 release (years ago).  We had a few G-DS layer keys in 2007 added as samples, that never got used.  To eliminate confusion we got rid of any that did not make sense with the new display components.  The sample 2007 G-DS- keys were eliminated, replaced with the new G-DS- keys used in the displays.  So the final number is not a straight 29, and not a simple reduction of the 29.  No other keys or properties were touched.  Is that what they ended up at?  A net of 12 keys added?  For an elimination of 29 layers migrated to new keys.  I thought it was more than that.  There were 4 layers left in layer manager in 2013 of the original 29.  Those 4 are not display related and support the styles like rise-drop blocks.  So layers reduced from 29 to 4, and keys added 12. 

 

Hope this helps,

Joshua



Joshua Benoist, PE
Senior Premium Services Specialist
Global Services
Autodesk, Inc.

Message 3 of 7

From 29 down to 4... you mentioned 'Layer Manager'. These are layers in the typical drawing file template DWT...

So this would cut down on the number of layer defined in the template then - ei more of them can be purged out then. Is that right?

 

I would assume we should start from out of the box template to recreate ours. Should we also start our layerkeyfile from the out of the box one also, then add ours into it... right?  We use CTB file to control our lineweights - is this what you might recommend?

 

Message 4 of 7

Exactly.  Start from the OOTB template.  The display components are all mapped to the new keys.  The layers found in the templates in layer manager are already purged down.  The styles that have style display overrides (in templates) have been refreshed to use the new layer keys, in lieu of layers on their display component overrides.  We have yet to refresh the Style drawing's found in the content folders.  For example any system display overrides on systems in System Definitions (US Imperial).dwg still need to be flushed of the old displays/layers.  However, they were not required to be done, to get rid of the layers in the templates.  Templates in 2013 are much cleaner and simpler and that was the end goal.

 

As far as using our new layer key style, you could easily add the new G-DS- keys to your own custom layer key style.  The new templates would use those key names regardless of what style is current.  That's the beauty of layer key styles.  The key names (should) never change between differing styles (even your own), and map to any layer you want.  Switch between different styles all you want.  It finds the key name in whatever style is current and returns the layer from that style.  That's the idea anyway.

 

Joshua

 

 


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Joshua Benoist, PE
Senior Premium Services Specialist
Global Services
Autodesk, Inc.

Message 5 of 7

BTW:  In the new templates, we mapped all common components to common layer keys.  (Like hidden lines). That includes Display By Elevation components that obey the cut planes.  So all Above, Below, High and Low components map to common layer keys across different objects.  When you want all Below objects to display as dashed and grayed out, or something along those lines, you can change the key layer properties.  All in one location, which is simpler than editing every object every display representation every component to get a common look/feel across objects.  High and Low keys map back to Layer 0, so they continue to use the system definition and work normally.  No behavior changes.  But if you want a change, the key is there and easily edited.  Look for other components that are common between different objects (like centerlines).  Much easier to change a single key in the layer keys to get a common/look feel across objects.

Joshua



Joshua Benoist, PE
Senior Premium Services Specialist
Global Services
Autodesk, Inc.

Message 6 of 7

Just following up.  Was this information what you were looking for?

Joshua

 

 


______________________________________________________________

If my post answers your question, please click the "Accept as Solution" button. This helps everyone find answers more quickly!



Joshua Benoist, PE
Senior Premium Services Specialist
Global Services
Autodesk, Inc.

Message 7 of 7

How do I know which layer Keys to import into ours?

 

There are a full screen full of G-DS* keys in the list... do I import all of them?

 

There are 43    G-DS* keys in 2013... but only 26 in 2012...

in 2013 I am looking at    MEP Object - AIA 256 Color    layer key style.

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