Defining the layers
A geometric representation is composed of four types of entities, namely points, lines, surfaces, and volumes.
A layer is a grouping of entities. Defining layers in computer-aided design allows us to work collectively with all the entities in one layer.
The creation of a profile of the mechanical part in our case study will be carried out with the help of auxiliary lines. Two layers will be defined in order to prevent these lines from appearing in the final drawing. The lines that define the profile will be assigned to one of the layers, called the "profile" layer, while the auxiliary lines will be assigned to the other layer, called the "aux" layer. When the design of the part has been completed, the entities in the "aux" layer will be erased.
Creating two new layers
- Open the layer management window. This is found in Utilities->Layers and groups...
- Create two new layers called "aux" and "profile."
- Choose "aux" as the activated layer. From now on, all the entities created will belong to this layer.
NOTE: You can also access to the layers information through the standard bar. The layer in use is selected in the combobox.