Object properties in ZWCAD Flex control the appearance and behavior of your drawing elements. This guide will walk you through using the Properties palette, Quick Properties palette, and layer management tools to master object property editing and improve your drafting workflow.
Using the PROPERTIES command, you can view object properties in the Properties palette.
The properties shown depend on what kind of object you select. For example:
· If you select a circle, you’ll see properties like area and perimeter.
· If you select a line, you’ll see properties like length and angle.
But most objects share some common basic properties, such as:
· Object type
· Layer
· Line type
· Line type scale
· Line weight
· Transparency
The above belong to the basic properties of objects, most of which can be assigned to objects through layers.
When a property is set to BYLAYER, the object uses the property of its layer.
For example, if a line is on layer 0 and its color is set to BYLAYER, it will use the color of layer 0.
If you set a property to a specific value (like red color), it will override the layer’s setting.
So the line will always be red, no matter what the layer color is.
You can change properties using different tools:
· Properties palette (opened with the PROPERTIES command)
· Quick Properties palette (opened with the QUICKPROPERTIES command)
· Properties panel on the ribbon (Home tab)
· Run the PROPERTIES command to open it.
· If no object is selected, you will see settings for the whole drawing, which apply to new objects you create.
· If one object is selected, you’ll see all its properties.
· If multiple objects are selected, you’ll see only the properties they share.
If the property value allows editing, it can be modified in one of the following ways:
· Click the dropdown arrow on the right side of edit box, and select a value from dropdown list
· Click the pick point button on the right side of edit box, and specify a point in drawing area
· Click the quick calc button on the right side of edit box, and calculate the new value
· Click the left and right buttons on the right side of edit box to decrease or increase the value
· Click the ... button to open a dialog box to change the value
The Quick Properties palette is a smaller version of the Properties palette. It appears near your cursor when you select an object and allows you to quickly view and edit basic object properties. You can customize what information appears in the palette. It shows only essential properties, which you can adjust to fit your workflow.
To open it, type QUICKPROPERTIES in the command line and press Enter. The palette will appear automatically when you click on an object.
You can use the QPMODE system variable to turn the Quick Properties palette on or off when selecting objects.
· QPMODE = 1: The palette appears automatically when you select an object.
· QPMODE = 0: The palette does not appear.
To customize the object types and property fields displayed in the palette, type CUI to open the Customize User Interface dialog box. From there, select Quick Properties and define the supported object and property types.
Additionally, you can use the DSETTINGS command to open the Drafting Settings dialog box and adjust the palette display options under the Quick Properties tab.
You can modify the properties of objects such as layer, color, linetype, and lineweight through the Properties and Layers panels on the Home tab of the ribbon.
When no object is selected, the current settings of drawing will be displayed; If an object is selected, the properties of selected object will be displayed. You can use preset values from the drop-down list to set the object properties.
Layers are like transparent sheets stacked on top of each other in a drawing. Each layer can hold different types of objects, and when all layers are visible, they form a complete drawing.
Using layers helps keep your drawing organized and less complex. You can manage object properties more easily - changing a layer’s properties will update all objects on that layer.
Each layer has its own set of properties, such as:
· Name
· On/Off status
· Locked/Unlocked status
· Color
· Linetype
· Lineweight
· Plot style
You can also set layer property overrides for specific layout viewports when exporting or printing your drawing. And with layer filters, you can quickly find the layers you need.
To manage layers, type LAYER in the command line to open the Layer Properties Manager. Here, you can:
· Create new layers
· Modify existing layers
· Change layer properties
· Color: Sets the color of a layer. (Applies only when object color is set to ByLayer.)
· Linetype: Sets the type of line (e.g., solid, dashed). (Only works when object linetype is ByLayer.)
· Lineweight: Controls the thickness of lines. (Also requires ByLayer setting.)
Make a Layer Current
You can set one layer as the current layer. All new objects you draw will be placed on this layer. Please note that frozen or xref-dependent layers cannot be set as current.
Control Layer Visibility
You can turn off or freeze layers to hide them:
· Off: Objects are hidden but still selectable. You can even draw on the layer while it’s off.
· Frozen: Objects are hidden and excluded from display updates, helping speed up performance in large drawings.
Lock Layers
Locked layers appear dimmed, and their objects cannot be edited.
· A lock icon appears when you hover over objects on a locked layer.
· You can still use object snap to get precise points.
Locking layers is useful for avoiding accidental edits in complex drawings.
In layout space, you can set different layer properties for each viewport without changing the original drawing.
How to Set Overrides
1. Switch to a layout tab.
2. Type LAYER to open the Layer Properties Manager.
3. Double-click inside a viewport to activate model space.
4. Change properties like color, linetype, or lineweight for the desired layers.
5. Double-click outside the viewport to return to layout space.
6. Plot/export the drawing - your changes will apply only to that viewport.
Remove Overrides
You can remove viewport layer property override and restore layer global properties by the following methods.
· Use the VPLAYER command and choose Remove Overrides.
· Or use -VPORTS, select Layer, then choose to remove the overrides.
Layer filters help you manage drawings with many layers by narrowing down what’s shown in the Layer Properties Manager.
Type LAYER to access the Layer Properties Manager, then create:
Property Filters
Filter layers based on properties like color, name, or transparency.
· Conditions in the same row use AND logic (all conditions must be met).
· Conditions in different rows use OR logic (any condition can be met).
Example:
Same row: Color = Red AND Transparency = 50 → only layers with both apply
Different rows: Color = Red OR Transparency = 50 → more layers match
Group Filters
Groups one or more layers in a drawing, and the newly created group filter is displayed in the filter list. When selected, layers belonging to current group can be filtered out from all layers.
After creating a new group filter, switch to the all layer list, select one or more layers, and drag them to the group filter.
In ZWCAD FLex's classic interface, you can access additional layer tools from the Express menu. These tools offer shortcuts for managing layers more efficiently.
You can use the LAYERSTATE command to open the Layer States Manager, where you can save, edit, and manage different layer settings.
A layer state is a snapshot of current layer properties, such as color, visibility, and lock status. Saving a layer state lets you quickly restore these settings later.
What You Can Do in Layer States Manager
· Save the current layer settings as a new layer state.
· Update an existing layer state with the current layer settings.
· Change layer properties inside a saved layer state.
· Load layer states from external files, such as LAS (Layer State files), DWG, or DWT files.
· Save a layer state as a LAS file to share or use in other drawings.
· Apply a saved layer state to bring back the stored layer settings in your current drawing.
Color controls the appearance display of graphics, and you can set layer colors or object colors.
To set layer colors, use the LAYER command to open the Layer Properties Manager.
To set object colors, use the PROPERTIES palette or the COLOR command. If an object is already selected, it can be assigned a color separately. If no object is currently selected, the color in the Properties palette will be applied to every object created later.
You can assign object colors in three different ways:
· Set to BYLAYER, the color of current layer will be applied.
· Set to BYBLOCK. Before being created as a block, the object is displayed in black or white. After being created as a block, you can set the block color through the Properties palette.
· Set to the specified color, which will be used and not affected by the layer color.
Using the COLOR command, colors can be set in the following ways.
Index Color (ACI - AutoCAD Color Index)
· Choose from 256 predefined colors.
· Valid values range from 1 to 255 (e.g., 1 = red, 2 = yellow, 5 = blue).
· 0 = ByBlock, 256 = ByLayer.
· You can also enter color names like GREEN, BLUE, etc.
True Color
In HSL mode, enter color value, or specify hue, saturation and luminance to set color.
In RGB mode, enter color value, or specify the RGB value of color (red, green and blue value) to set the color.
Color Books
Specify the color after selecting color book.
Linetypes control the visual style of lines in your drawing. Common linetypes include continuous, dashed, and dotted lines. You can assign linetypes to either entire layers or to individual objects.
To set a layer’s linetype, use the LAYER command to open the Layer Properties Manager.
To set an object’s linetype, you can use the Properties palette or enter the LINETYPE command. If you already have an object selected, the linetype you choose will apply only to that object. If no object is selected, the selected linetype will become the default for all new objects you create.
You can assign linetypes in three ways.
When set to BYLAYER, the object will use the linetype of the layer it belongs to, which is the most commonly used method for maintaining consistency in drawings.
If set to BYBLOCK, the object will appear with a continuous linetype until it becomes part of a block. Once the object is added to a block, you can change its linetype through the Properties palette.
Alternatively, you can assign a specific linetype directly to the object, which will remain unchanged regardless of the layer’s linetype settings.
Before you can use a custom linetype, you need to load it into the drawing.
1.Run the LINETYPE command to open the Linetype Manager.
2.Click Load to open the Add Linetypes dialog box.
3.Choose linetypes from the list (use Shift or Ctrl to select multiple).
4.To load from another file, click Browse and select a different .LIN file.
5.Click OK to confirm and return to the Linetype Manager.
The linetype scale controls the size of the pattern (like the length of dashes or gaps) within the linetype.
A larger scale factor makes the pattern appear longer and more spaced out, while a smaller scale factor creates a tighter, more compact appearance.
You can change the linetype scale using the Properties palette by executing the PROPERTIES command. For example, in the illustration below, the scale factors from left to right are set to 1, 2, and 3, showing how the pattern size increases with the scale.
In the Properties palette, if you select an object first, the linetype scale change will apply only to that object. If no object is selected, the new scale will be used for all objects created afterward.
There are two key settings that control linetype scale:
· LTSCALE controls the global scale for all linetypes in the drawing.
· CELTSCALE controls the scale for new objects you draw.
The final display of a linetype is affected by both values. For example:
| LTSCALE | CELTSCALE | Resulting Display Scale |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Normal |
| 2 | 1 | 2× larger |
| 1 | 2 | 2× larger |
| 2 | 0.5 | Normal |
| 0.5 | 2 | Normal |
Lineweight refers to the thickness of lines or curves in a drawing. Setting different lineweights can enhance the visual clarity of your drawing, especially after plotting or printing.
You can assign lineweights to either layers or individual objects:
· To set lineweight for a layer, use the LAYER command to open the Layer Properties Manager.
· To set lineweight for objects, use the PROPERTIES palette or run the LWEIGHT command.
If an object is selected, the change applies only to that object. If no object is selected, the new lineweight becomes the default for new objects.
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| BYLAYER | Uses the lineweight set in the current layer. |
| BYBLOCK | Uses default lineweight until part of a block, then adopts the block's lineweight. |
| Fixed Value | Select from 0.00–2.11 mm (or 0.000–0.083 inches). Overrides the layer lineweight. |
You can toggle lineweight display using the status bar at the bottom of the interface:
· ON: Objects show their assigned lineweights on screen
· OFF: All lines appear thin for better performance (this does not affect printing)
To adjust display settings, right-click the lineweight icon in the status bar and open the Lineweight Settings dialog.
Turn on line weight display, there are differences in line weight display between model space and layout space.
In model space, the display width of line weights on the screen remains unchanged when zooming in and out.
In layout space, when zooming in or out, the line weight displayed on the screen becomes thicker as the drawing is enlarged and thinner as the drawing is reduced.
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