Layers, Blocks and Colors
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:51 am
Note: A new version of this tutorial can be found at:
https://qcad.org/en/tutorial-layers-blo ... attributes
Since this question comes up a lot, I tried to illustrate the relationship between blocks, layers and colors (and other attributes).
Consider this drawing which consists of one single block reference: The block has been inserted on layer 'magenta'. However, the individual entities can have all kind of different colors depending on their color and layer settings.
Let's look at the drawing, split up by layer: So, entities that are part of a block can have their color (and other attributes) defined:
- fixed (e.g. the circle, which is shown as yellow)
- by layer (e.g. the center lines above on layer 'red')
- by block (e.g. the square magenta which is magenta because the block has been inserted on layer 'magenta', move the block reference to layer 'red' and the square will turn red)
Blocks are used to group entities together that belong logically together such as a mechanical part, a piece of furniture, etc.
Layers define the meaning of entities (does an entity represent a wall, a center line, an edge or a water pipe).
It might take some experimenting to get the hang of these two concepts, but its worth the time since these two concepts are fundamental to CAD.
https://qcad.org/en/tutorial-layers-blo ... attributes
Since this question comes up a lot, I tried to illustrate the relationship between blocks, layers and colors (and other attributes).
Consider this drawing which consists of one single block reference: The block has been inserted on layer 'magenta'. However, the individual entities can have all kind of different colors depending on their color and layer settings.
Let's look at the drawing, split up by layer: So, entities that are part of a block can have their color (and other attributes) defined:
- fixed (e.g. the circle, which is shown as yellow)
- by layer (e.g. the center lines above on layer 'red')
- by block (e.g. the square magenta which is magenta because the block has been inserted on layer 'magenta', move the block reference to layer 'red' and the square will turn red)
Blocks are used to group entities together that belong logically together such as a mechanical part, a piece of furniture, etc.
Layers define the meaning of entities (does an entity represent a wall, a center line, an edge or a water pipe).
It might take some experimenting to get the hang of these two concepts, but its worth the time since these two concepts are fundamental to CAD.