DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

SUBEJCT: EGD (P) CLASS: 1st YEAR (Common subject for all branches) Lab Duration: 3hrs
Practical No.4
Aim: To understand & learn to create, edit, set up and use layers, to create drawings.
1) Introduction
User can create layers in a SOLIDWORKS drawing document. User, assign visibility, line color, line
thickness, and line style for new entities (annotations and assembly components) created on each
layer. New entities are automatically added to the active layer.
 Layers can also be used with dimensions, area hatch, detail circles, and section lines.
 Components, in either part or assembly drawings, can be moved onto layers. The
Component Line Font dialog box includes a list for selecting a named layer for the
component.
 If a user import a .dxf or .dwg file into a SOLIDWORKS drawing, layers are created
automatically. The layer information (names, properties, and entity locations) is retained.
 If a user exports a drawing with layers as a .dxf or .dwg file, the layer information is included
in the file. When the user opens the file in the target system, the entities are on the same
layers and have the same properties unless mapping is used to redirect the entities to new
layers.
 User can assign document-level layers to each type of dimension, annotation, table, and view
label detail.
SOLIDWORKS allows the use of layers in a similar fashion to 2D CAD programs. However, there
may be an occasion where drawing annotations or dimensions do not conform to the layers they
are supposed to be located on.
1) First of all, user could do with showing the “Line Format” toolbar (View > Toolbars > Line
Format) it will look something like in Fig.1: The first icons on this toolbar refer to changing
and creating new layers. The layer properties button allows user to create and edit the existing
layers that are setup as shown in Fig.2 & Fig.3.
2) So, once user has configured these, user may transfer items such as annotation or dimensions
onto these layers in any of the following ways; Right click and item and “Change Layer” Fig.4
3) User can select an item and then change the layer through the Property Manager (note: this
shows the dimension property manager; other annotations may look different). Fig.5
4) User can also set the default layer for various annotation types through the Document
Properties, and then subsequently save this as a drawing template to be remembered for
future drawings. Fig.6
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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
(A constituent Autonomous Institute)
KURUKSHETRA UNIVERSITY, KURUKSHETRA
(Established by State Legislature Act XII of 1956)
("A+" Grade, NAAC Accredited)

SUBEJCT: EGD (P) CLASS: 1st YEAR (Common subject for all branches) Lab Duration: 3hrs

5) Possible Problems: User may think that user has changed the layer correctly but the color
scheme ort line weight still doesn’t show through as expected. The reason for this is typically
that user had already changed the default display style for the annotation prior to attempting
to change the layer- these settings take precedence over the layer properties.

User may have altered the color of line font using some of the other icons on the Line Format
toolbar such as Color, Line Thickness or Line Style. To correct the problem, user has to set the
annotations back to the default options where the layer properties can then take effect. Fig. 6-
12.

6) Firstly, user should select all of the items that will not change (note Selection Filters can be
really handy for this). Then user should press the “Line Colour” button and then ensure the
“Default” checkbox is selected
7) User may need to repeat this for Line Thickness & Line Style.
8) Then user should see that the layer settings take effect correctly. One other common question
related to Layers is the ability to set a component’s outline to a layer style. To do this user
should right click on the part within a drawing view and choose “Component Line Font”
9) From here user can then untick to “Use Document Defaults” and then choose the desired layer
as well as changing the setting to all views in the document.

NOTE: Take print-out(s) of Fig.1-12 and paste them in Practical File in proper manner.

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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
(A constituent Autonomous Institute)
KURUKSHETRA UNIVERSITY, KURUKSHETRA
(Established by State Legislature Act XII of 1956)
("A+" Grade, NAAC Accredited)

SUBEJCT: EGD (P) CLASS: 1st YEAR (Common subject for all branches) Lab Duration: 3hrs

Fig.1 Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4 Fig.5
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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
(A constituent Autonomous Institute)
KURUKSHETRA UNIVERSITY, KURUKSHETRA
(Established by State Legislature Act XII of 1956)
("A+" Grade, NAAC Accredited)

SUBEJCT: EGD (P) CLASS: 1st YEAR (Common subject for all branches) Lab Duration: 3hrs

Fig.6

Fig.7 Fig.8

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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
(A constituent Autonomous Institute)
KURUKSHETRA UNIVERSITY, KURUKSHETRA
(Established by State Legislature Act XII of 1956)
("A+" Grade, NAAC Accredited)

SUBEJCT: EGD (P) CLASS: 1st YEAR (Common subject for all branches) Lab Duration: 3hrs

Fig.9 Fig.10

Fig.11 Fig.12

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