We previously covered temporary overrides—keys or key combinations that switch settings on or off so long as you hold them down. For example, the F8 key turns Ortho on and off. You can adjust the hold-down time for temporary overrides through the Windows Control Panel. Open the Control Panel from the Windows Start menu and select Keyboard. In the Character Repeat section, move the Repeat Rate control slider as desired to.

Layer states allow you to save particular sets of layer properties and settings so you can easily restore them when needed. You might create a layer state that has certain layers locked so you don’t inadvertently change them when editing the drawing, or a state that has certain layers set to nonplotting. You could also save your current settings before changing layer properties such as color, linetype, and plot style in case you need to change them back. To create a layer state, first configure the layer states and properties of your drawing as desired. From the Format menu select the Layer States Manager to display the Layer States Manager dialog box.

Caption: Layer States Manager.

Click the New button and name your layer state by typing a name in the New Layer State Name text box.

Caption: Name your new layer.

In the Layer States Manager, select the layer properties and states that you want to include in the Layer Properties to Restore section. You may need to click on the More Options button at bottom right to see this section.

Caption: Select layer properties to restore in the section at right.

Any states and properties you don’t select will not be affected when you restore the layer state. If you want the drawing to look exactly as it did when you saved the layer state, check the Turn Off Layers Not Found in Layer State check box. This will turn off any new layers you add after saving the layer state. Select Close to exit the Layer States Manager. To restore a layer state you’ve created, open the Layer States Manager, select the layer state, and click on Restore.

You can edit existing layer states by selecting the Edit button in the Layer States Manager. A dialog box appears listing all the layers in the drawing. You can change properties and states here, though it’s probably easier just to do so in the drawing, then create a new layer state.

Caption: Editing a layer state.

You can export saved layer states as an LAS file that can then be imported into other drawings. Starting in AutoCAD 2008, you can directly import layer states from DWG, DWT, and DWS files. You will be prompted to select which layer states to import.

You may already know that you can stack dimension text above and below the dimension line by inserting \X (backslash x) in your text string. Note that text stacked below the line is placed at the same offset distance as the text above the line. However, be careful when moving the text. If you select the grip on the text object and move it to a different location, the stacking disappears. The workaround is to move the whole dimension to the new location, then move the ends of the extension lines back to their original spot.

Palettes can proliferate to take up a considerable amount of screen space. AutoCAD provides some features that help you manage palette location to maximize screen area. Right-click on the top palette bar to set the AutoHide feature. This automatically compresses the palettes until you move the cursor over them to make them expand.

Caption: Right-click on a palette bar to access its display options.

Right-click again and select Anchor Left or Anchor Right to dock the palette to the side of your AutoCAD screen. The result is shown below: skinny stacked palettes that stay out of the way until you move the cursor over them.

The last time or two we discussed annotation scales, a nifty new feature introduced in AutoCAD 2008. By now you are no doubt wondering, “What happens if I (or someone else) open the drawing in an earlier release of AutoCAD?” The answer to that question depends on whether you save your drawing with visual fidelity turned on or turned off. You control this setting in the Open and Save tab of the Options dialog box or via the SAVEFIDELITY system variable.

Caption: Set visual fidelity in the File Save Section, just above the Thumbnail Preview Settings button.