AIA Layer Naming Convention: Format is
D-MJRM-MINR-STAT where D = Discipline code (A/E/M/C/S/P/G),
MJRM = 4-char major group (e.g. WALL, DOOR, FIXT),
MINR = optional 4-char minor group, STAT = optional status (DEMO, EXST, NEW).
Example: A-WALL-FULL = Architectural, full-height walls.
Colors follow AutoCAD's standard index: use color numbers for CTB plot styles — color 7 = white/black (always plots), colors 1–6 are primaries. Lineweight is set per layer in the Layer Properties Manager.
🏝 Architectural Layers (A)
Layer Name
Color #
Color
Linetype
Lineweight
Disc.
Description
🗂 Layer States (.LAS Files) — Complete Beginner's Guide
What is a Layer State? A Layer State is a saved snapshot of every layer's settings — On/Off, Frozen/Thawed, Locked/Unlocked, Color, Linetype, Lineweight, Transparency, and Plot/No Plot — captured at one moment and stored under a name. Once you've saved a state, you can jump between different layer setups instantly (e.g. FULL-DESIGN with everything visible vs PLOT-VIEW with only the plotting layers on) without manually toggling dozens of layers by hand every time. States can also be exported to a standalone .LAS file and imported into other drawings — a simple way to standardize layer visibility across an entire office or project.
Step 1 — Open the Layer States Manager
⌨ Command line
Type LAYERSTATE and press Enter. This opens the Layer States Manager dialog directly.
🎛 Ribbon
Home tab → Layers panel → click the small drop-down arrow at the top of the Layer dropdown list → Manage Layer States.
📋 Layer Properties Manager
Open the Layer Properties Manager (LAYER) and click the Layer States Manager icon in its toolbar (near the top-right of the palette).
Step 2 — Create (Save) a New Layer State
Set up your layers exactly the way you want them saved first — turn layers on/off, freeze or thaw them, lock/unlock, adjust colors, whatever the state needs to capture.
Open the Layer States Manager (LAYERSTATE).
Click New.
Type a clear, descriptive name for the state (e.g. PLOT-VIEW, DEMO-VIEW, FULL-DESIGN) and an optional description explaining what it's for.
Click OK. A "New Layer State to Save" dialog appears with a checklist of which layer properties to include (On/Off, Frozen, Locked, Color, Linetype, Lineweight, Transparency, Plot, New VP Freeze). Leave a box checked if you want that property tracked and restored later; uncheck anything you don't want the state to control.
Click OK again to save. The new state now appears in the Layer States Manager list.
Click Close when you're done.
Beginner tip: Save a baseline state called something like ALL-ON as your very first Layer State, with every layer thawed, unlocked, and visible. It acts as a safety net — no matter how tangled your layers get later, you can always restore back to a known-good starting point.
Step 3 — Restore a Layer State
Open the Layer States Manager (LAYERSTATE).
Select the saved state you want from the list.
Click Restore.
AutoCAD instantly applies every property that state was saved with — no manual layer toggling required.
Step 4 — Export a Layer State (create a .LAS file)
Open the Layer States Manager (LAYERSTATE).
Select the state you want to share with other drawings or teammates.
Click Export.
In the file dialog, choose a folder (a shared office/network folder works well for team standards) and give the file a name — AutoCAD automatically saves it with a .LAS extension.
Click Save.
Step 5 — Import a Layer State (.LAS file) into another drawing
Open the drawing you want to bring the layer state into.
Open the Layer States Manager (LAYERSTATE).
Click Import.
Browse to the .LAS file and select it, then click Open.
The imported state now appears in the list for this drawing.
Select it and click Restore to apply it.
Common beginner mistakes:
• Layer States are saved inside the drawing (DWG) by default — if you want to reuse one in a different file, you must Export it to a .LAS file first, then Import it into the other drawing.
• If a layer referenced by an imported state doesn't already exist in the target drawing, AutoCAD creates it automatically using the saved properties — double-check new layers landed where you expect after importing.
• Unchecking a property (like Color or Lineweight) in the save dialog means that property is not tracked — restoring the state later won't touch it, which can be confusing if you forget which properties a given state controls.
• A Layer State only reflects layers that existed in the drawing at the time you saved it. If you add new layers afterward, re-save (Edit) the state so it stays current.
Layer Properties a State Can Track
Property
What It Captures
On / Off
Whether the layer is visible or hidden
Frozen / Thawed
Whether the layer is frozen (hidden and excluded from regen) or active
Frozen in New VP
Whether the layer is frozen by default in newly created viewports
Locked / Unlocked
Whether objects on the layer can be selected and edited
Color
The layer's assigned color (ACI number or true color)
Linetype
The layer's assigned linetype (Continuous, Dashed, Center, etc.)
Lineweight
The layer's assigned plotted line thickness
Transparency
The layer's transparency percentage
Plot / No Plot
Whether the layer is included when the drawing is plotted/printed
Plot Style
The assigned plot style (relevant on STB-based drawings)
Related Commands
Command
What It Does
LAYERSTATE
Opens the Layer States Manager dialog — create, restore, edit, rename, delete, import, and export states.
-LAYERSTATE
Command-line version of the same tool. Useful inside scripts or LISP routines to save/restore/import/export a layer state without opening the dialog.
LAYER
Opens the Layer Properties Manager, which also has a Layer States Manager icon in its toolbar.
Team workflow tip: Keep a shared folder of standard .LAS files (e.g. PLOT-VIEW.LAS, DEMO-VIEW.LAS) on your office network drive. New drawings — or new team members — can Import the same standard states in seconds instead of rebuilding layer visibility from scratch every time.
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