topic Re: ByLayer Color Issue in AutoCAD Forum

ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 18:10:23 GMT

Sometimes when I select all objects or a large number of objects in a drawings and go to change the color setting to "ByLayer", it is the option already selected, even though I know that that is not the setting because the object's color is wrong. Then when I go about selecting fewer numbers of objects, the tab goes blank because there are multiple different color options selected in my selection group.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

sthompson1021 — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 18:19:48 GMT

Not really an answer to your problem with the properties pallet, but are you familar with the SETBYLAYER command. You can change the settings to choose which properties you want to change.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 18:34:38 GMT

Lemme show you what I mean:

In the accompanying image, the lines towards the left side that are cyan are on a layer whose color is set to green. At the top it says color is ByLayer, but that's obviously not true.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

sthompson1021 — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 18:56:39 GMT

I can't duplicate the problem. If you select just one line that you know is not the right color, does the properties show it correctly? Are you using vanilla autocad?

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 19:01:26 GMT

If I select a line that, by itself, has a color setting other than ByLayer, it displays the actual color that that line is.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

sthompson1021 — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 19:10:38 GMT

If you have everything selected in like in your screen shot and change the color to something else and then right back to bylayer, will it change the color of the lines that are wrong?

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

dgorsman — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 19:14:36 GMT

First though, check the PROPOBJLIMIT system variable: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/AutoCAD-Core/files/GUID-6170C0EC-0910-46A6-81DF-DE0A888573A0-htm.html

If that doesn't have an effect, then we need to consider the content ie. are those basic AutoCAD entities (lines, arcs, etc.) or something from a vertical or third-party product?

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

pendean — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 19:28:24 GMT

Aren't those blocks? SETBYLAYER command to fix internal block definitions is the way to go (look up usage in HELP), assuming those block internals aren't actually on other layers you have with different color layers.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 20:10:07 GMT

@pendean wrote:
Aren't those blocks? SETBYLAYER command to fix internal block definitions is the way to go (look up usage in HELP), assuming those block internals aren't actually on other layers you have with different color layers.

This command helped, but didn't solve the issue. I set one line to blue, then pressed CTRL + A to select everything. The color tab still says ByLayer, even though I just set a line to be Blue.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

pendean — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 20:42:09 GMT

Post that DWG file for everyone here to test for you.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 20:46:07 GMT

@pendean wrote:
Post that DWG file for everyone here to test for you.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

pendean — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 20:54:19 GMT

OK, you do know that each one of those objects is on a separate layer, and each of those separate layers is a unique color, which is what they are set to be (color is the layer color, hence "bylayer").

Are you perhaps getting distracted by the fact that when you select many of these objects the color next to the word BYLAYER in the properties palette doesn't change color? It will normally stay whatever color was first there.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:00:18 GMT

@pendean wrote:
OK, you do know that each one of those objects is on a separate layer, and each of those separate layers is a unique color, which is what they are set to be (color is the layer color, hence "bylayer").

Are you perhaps getting distracted by the fact that when you select many of these objects the color next to the word BYLAYER in the properties palette doesn't change color? It will normally stay whatever color was first there.

Yes, I am aware that each layer has a different color. What I'm talking about is that, when you have multiple objects selected, if they're on the same layer, for example, the layer tab in the layer palette says what layer they're on; however, if those objects are on different layers, that tab is now blank.

Similarly, when I have different objects selected, if they all have the same color setting, such as "ByLayer", it should display in the color tab, whereas if they have different color settings, the tab goes blank. The problem is, sometimes when I select a group of objects, the color setting says "ByLayer" even when not every object in that selection is set to the "ByLayer". Then when I select a smaller group of objects, the tab goes blank.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

pendean — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:09:18 GMT

BYLAYER is a universal setting: that entry does not go blank if all the objects are set BYLAYER. Actual colors are ignored since they are all set to the color BYLAYER.

BYLAYER is the color (wrap your head around that): it's that simple. LAYER command controls them, they are a LAYER command setting, not a PROPERTIES setting. They are all color=bylayer.

BYLAYER is the color.

BYLAYER can also be a linetype.
BYLAYER can also be an Lweight setting.

You were taught wrong: now you know better.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

sthompson1021 — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:19:29 GMT

I understand what you are talking about, I just can't reproduce it. You haven't answered some of the questions asked. Are you using vanilla autocad or a verticle like electrical? When I opened your dwg I did not see any of the lines that you said were cyan when the layer they are on is set to green. Were they still in the dwg you posted? Were they created with a plugin app or are they just plain autocad objects.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:19:35 GMT

@pendean wrote:
BYLAYER is a universal setting: that entry does not go blank if all the objects are set BYLAYER. Actual colors are ignored since they are all set to the color BYLAYER.

BYLAYER is the color (wrap your head around that): it's that simple. LAYER command controls them, they are a LAYER command setting, not a PROPERTIES setting. They are all color=bylayer.

BYLAYER is the color.
BYLAYER can also be a linetype.
BYLAYER can also be an Lweight setting.

You were taught wrong: now you know better.

First off, to clarify, I've been saying palette when I mean panel. My apologies.

But what happens when you select multiple objects that aren't all set to ByLayer?

On a side note, I just ran a test: I changed a line to be Blue, then selected all objects. The color tab in the Properties panel still said "ByLayer", but when I opened the the Properties palette, it said *VARIES*

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:24:30 GMT

@sthompson1021 wrote:
I understand what you are talking about, I just can't reproduce it. You haven't answered some of the questions asked. Are you using vanilla autocad or a verticle like electrical? When I opened your dwg I did not see any of the lines that you said were cyan when the layer they are on is set to green. Were they still in the dwg you posted? Were they created with a plugin app or are they just plain autocad objects.

Regular AutoCAD 2013.

The lines weren't cyan because I've been working on the drawing as I've been posting about it. The issue still exists no matter the specific color of the object.

I guess I never posted my main actual problem: On some drawings, when I select all objects, even if I've exploded the blocks, if I click "ByLayer" in the color tab of the Properties Panel, it doesn't change all objects' color to "ByLayer". I have to select groups of objects at a time and change them manually. the SETBYLAYER command may help in the future, but I don't think it solves the initial issue.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

pendean — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:33:06 GMT

HA! you have PICKFIRST variable turned off. Look it up in HELP and turn it back on.

Otherwise... when all objects are set to BYLAYER, the color entry only shows bylayer when you select them all, even if they are different colors. See below.

When the objects are NOT set to Bylayer, those entries are blank. I'm using one of my files in this screenshot to lessen your confusion

That's it.

Good luck.

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 22:07:40 GMT

Sorry, PICKFIRST was set to 1. I tried the same test: set a line to Blue, CTRL + A, this is the result:

Re: ByLayer Color Issue

pendean — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 22:19:21 GMT

Is PICKADD on as well? Otherwise I cannot replicate your issue here at all: you saw my screenshots, they act normal.