Layers in Autocad Mac are used to organize and categorize a drawing. We explore all the essential functions of the program in our Autocad training courses.
Layers are used for different elements of the drawing, like construction lines, dimensions, text, hatching, etc. Alternatively certain industries or companies may have their own conventions for the use of layers, for example furniture, external walls, internal walls, doors & windows, contours, etc.
We can think of them as sheets of acetate overlay, which can be hidden or modified. But the way we create and modify layers in the Macintosh version of Autocad is slightly different from how we do it in the Windows version.
Whereas in the PC version we have the Layers Property manager in Layers tab of the top Ribbon (also by typing LA in the Command Line), in the Mac version we go to Tools > Palettes > Layers. If they are still not visible, go to Window > Layers > and turn off and on again – they should appear this time.
It’s sometimes useful to drag the panel to one side so you can see the Layers and Properties panels side by side. Select the layer you want to edit – it highlights and edit it in the Properties panel, for example the layer colour, the linetype, the line weight, its transparency, whether you wish it to plot (print) or not.
To create a new layer: click on black solid arrow to Show Layer List. Then click on the New layer button in the Properties panel (bottom left). Then right-click > Make Active (or Set Current) > click the eyeball icon to make visible or invisible.
To move an object to another layer: select the object first > then right-click > Move to > and choose a layer. To adjust Line Types: in Layers > Manage > Load.
Renaming a layer is slightly different – you right-click on the tab, or on the bottom Status bar > and choose Show Drawing & Layouts. Here you can right-click to rename.

In essence working with layers in Autocad for Macintosh is much the same as when using them in the Windows version of Autocad. The setup is just a little bit different. AutoDesk will possibly change this in future so that the program looks and behaves the same on both platforms.
More information on all features of the program can be found at the AutoDesk website. And see many examples of our clients’ work on our Facebook page.
Other related Autocad 2d Blog Posts:

• Autocad 2d basics
• Autocad 2d introduction
• Autocad 2d drawing
• Autocad 2d workspace
• Autocad 2d isometric