Layer Key Style

[wethead]

I am having some difficulty with creating new layer key styles.

I created a drawing that contained piping just as I wanted it.

The process:

I copied and renamed a Piping System Definition, then made the changes I wanted.

I copied and renamed a routing definition then ade the changes I wanted.

When I tried to to create a new Layer Key Definition to assign the the system definition, I was successful, but I was not successful in creating a new LAYER for the the layer key that I could get into my template.

How does one create a new layer key definition, along with a new layer, then copy it to a template or another drawing?.

Thanks,

Wethead

[rmiller1973]

I know you stated that you already created the new layer key definition and pipe system but I'm going to show the approach from the very beginning.

In the image below I created a new pipe style named "Sample System" with the goal of carrying the 'Sample' theme through the whole process.

So I added a new layer key definition to my drawing default layer style (see this post to Verify Drawing Layer Key). There are a few parameters that must be met to make layer keys available for certain object or style types. In the case of piping the name must follow the pattern of "X-SY-PIPE" - if you look at the default layer keys you will notice F-SY-PIPE, M-SY-PIPE, and P-SY-PIPE are currently being used but some other letters can be used.

After creating the layer key I set the layer name of the key to be "My-Sample-Layer", applied all of the changes and closed out of the style manager.

Afterwards I created a new pipe run selecting my "Sample System" pipe system and as you can see from above it created and set the piping on the layer I wanted.

When I was setting up our template file I took a different approach and eliminated a large percentage of the default layer key definitions and renamed the systems to include a more simplistic approach.

I looked at two major factors of the system key - the color and linetype assigned to the key. For example our original 2D Chilled Water Supply and Return were the same color but the linetype was different (continuos and dashed). Because of the linetype differences I forced to keep to separate layer key definitions for the two but I cut out over 30 "M-SY-PIPE-CHILLED_WATER" layer key definitions ... since I have the option of overriding the layer fields in the pipe systems themselves this was the easiest method to manage the layer key.

There are over 425 piping layer key definition in the default "ABS Object - AIA 256 Color" layer key and if you can isolate the number of linetype and color combinations needed you can probably eliminate 300 of them, if not more (we kept 58). The same madness applies to electrical systems (E-SY-DEVC), devices (E-DV), wires (E-SY-WIRE). We cut our layer key down from over 1400 layer key definitions down to under 475. The same methodolgy should probably be taken with the piping systems, duct systems, and electrical systems.

I wouldn't suggest deleting the MvPart designators (X-MV) from the layer key though. If you stick with the systems (X-SY) and device (X-DV) you should be fine.

[wethead]

Thank you so much for this.

I think I did something very simlar except I COPIED and PASTED an existing layer key, then renamed the copy.

I then redefined the new layer key to use a different layer, but kept getting the layer associated with the copied and renamed layer key.

That may be what happened.  I'll look at it again.