lock layer

[Phil hunt]

i know we can lock items individually but i would find it useful if i could right click to lock the complete layer in one go as you would in illustrator.

i know i could maybe do this in class options but i like to work with show/snap/modify others checked

just a thought

[Hippocode]

That is indeed a good suggestion.

It can be a simple script however and when added as a menu command you would be able to run it trough the right-click menu.

[Phil hunt]

hi don't really know to much about scripts.....would appreciate your knowledge

[Pat Stanford]

Please explain exactly what you are trying to do. I don't use illustrator.

VW has no way to lock a layer to prevent changes. You could lock all of the items on the layer, but it might be easier to Group them and lock the group instead.

[Phil hunt]

Hi pat

Illustrator has layers so you can assign objects to a layer and then lock it so you can't make any changes

I was working on a job today with a lot of walls they were assigned to a class but kept on picking the wall instead of another item....the I thought if I could have locked the wall class this would have alevited the problem

I could have picked all the wall items and then locked them and then unlocked them but this would have taken an age as I had walls all over the place it was a complicated model.....I guess I could have turned the class of or greyed it out but I work so I can pick any item on any class or layer

It was just a thought pat that with a simple right click you could lock the class or even the layer

[grant_PD]

I think you can grey the layer and it kind of does what you want.

[Pat Stanford]

I don't think VWs version of locking will do what you want. Locked objects can still be selected, just not moved or deleted.

I typically find I work best with Class Options set to Show/Snap/Modify and Layer Options set to Show or Show Snap others. This will typically reduce the number of accidental selections.

Otherwise you will need to figure out how best to layer/class your drawings so you can hide the parts that are interfering.

I sometimes find that by Grouping a bunch of objects and eating the group it can simplify what I am dealing with and make it easier to select the right objects.

[rDesign]

[...] I could have picked all the wall items and then locked them and then unlocked them but this would have taken an age as I had walls all over the place it was a complicated model.....[...]

Using the Select Similar tool (the 'Magic Wand') would make it easy to select all the walls to lock and unlock them as needed.

Vectorworks 2015 Help | Selecting Similar Objects

[AlanW]

[i work best with Class Options set to Show/Snap/Modify and Layer Options set to Show or Show Snap others. This will typically reduce the number of accidental selections.]

I typically work like this rather than as a locked layer. I find I am always selecting the locked layer rather than the item I need to move so I end up sending it to the back to avoid selection it but it still is annoying.

Show Snap others is great because you can still snap to it to draw items but cant select it.

[Phil hunt]

Thank all the similar tool works for me....