When working with AutoCAD, understanding the concept of draworder is crucial. Draworder determines the order in which objects are displayed on the screen or printed.
It allows you to control the visibility and arrangement of different objects within your drawing. In this article, we will explore what draworder is and how to use it effectively in AutoCAD.
What is Draworder?
Draworder refers to the stacking order of objects in a drawing. It determines which object appears on top and which one appears beneath it.
By default, AutoCAD uses an implicit draworder based on the creation order of objects. This means that the last object created will be displayed on top of previously created objects. However, there are times when you may want to change this order to achieve a desired visual effect or ensure that certain elements are always visible.
Changing Draworder
To change the draworder of objects in AutoCAD, you can use various commands and tools provided by the software.
Bring to Front/Send to Back
The simplest way to adjust draworder is by using the ‘Bring to Front’ and ‘Send to Back’ commands. These commands allow you to bring an object to the front or send it behind all other objects in the drawing.
To bring an object to the front, select it and right-click. From the context menu, choose ‘Bring to Front’. The selected object will now be displayed on top of other objects.
To send an object to the back, follow a similar process but choose ‘Send to Back’ from the context menu instead. The selected object will now be positioned behind all other objects.
Draw Order Dialog Box
If you need more control over draworder, you can use the ‘Draw Order’ dialog box. To access this dialog box, go to the ‘Home’ tab in the AutoCAD ribbon and click on the ‘Draw Order’ button in the ‘Modify’ panel.
Once the dialog box is open, you can select multiple objects and change their draworder using the available options. The ‘Bring Above Objects’ option brings the selected objects above a specified object, while the ‘Send Below Objects’ option sends them below a specified object.
Other Draworder Tools
AutoCAD provides additional tools to help you manage draworder effectively.
Draworder Tool
The ‘Draworder’ tool allows you to manually change the draworder of objects. To use this tool, type ‘DRAWORDER’ in the command line or access it from the ‘Modify’ panel. With this tool active, you can select individual objects or create a selection set and modify their draworder as needed.
Xref Draworder
If your drawing includes external references (Xrefs), you can adjust their draworder separately from other objects. To modify Xref draworder, use the ‘Xref Draw Order’ dialog box accessible from the ‘Reference Manager’. This allows for more precise control over how Xrefs are displayed in relation to other elements of your drawing.
Conclusion
Understanding and utilizing draworder is essential for creating clear and professional AutoCAD drawings. Whether you need to bring specific elements to the forefront or send them behind others, AutoCAD offers several tools and commands to help you achieve your desired visual arrangement. By mastering draworder, you can enhance both the clarity and aesthetics of your CAD designs.