DWG layers keep coming back!

[schrodingerscat]

Has anyone got any idea why the layers on a linked DWG keep coming back?

I've linked in several DWGs and since I don't want to see the grids, wall hatching, defpoints, etc. I've been going through and querying the objects, and deleting the layers.

The DWG files have NOT been updated since then, and yet every now and then when I open my project all the layers have come back on!

It's starting to take up copious amounts of time cleaning up all the DWGs.

I can understand it resetting if the DWGs were updated but when they haven't been opened at all, or reloaded, why would it forget my settings?

[kathy71046]

You need to set the visibility in the linked drawing, rather than delete layers, as the drawing is loaded fresh every time you start Revit.

I'm not fully up to speed on the how of the linked visibility, but I am certain that this is where your issue is coming from.

Alternately, open the dwg, and turn off/frezze the layers you don't want to see.

[schrodingerscat]

What do you mean by "Set the visibility in the linked drawing"?

It isn't EVERY time I start Revit. It happens with varying frequency. Can happen twice in a week to 5 times in a day.

Freezing off layers isn't really a good idea for us since we have multiple disciplines using the drawings for different things in different packages (elec and mech in Revit, hydraulics and fire in ACAD and Revit, Struc in Revit, civil in 12D(?)).

[truevis]

...Freezing off layers isn't really a good idea for us since we have multiple disciplines using the drawings for different things in different packages (elec and mech in Revit, hydraulics and fire in ACAD and Revit, Struc in Revit, civil in 12D(?)).

How about turning off the offending layers in V/G Overrides?

[schrodingerscat]

That would be a solution... except that new layers keep coming in, things that were on one layer keep ending up on different layers, I have 42 drawings to do this on, and each type of object seems to have 4 or 5 different layers they can be on with obscure names that would take a while to figure out.

We're receiving new architecturals every few days and that solution would probably take more tie to sort out, just because they're inconsistent.

[kathy71046]

How about turning off the offending layers in V/G Overrides?

This is what I meant by setting visibility.

Reseting during a session is wierd though, are you running any api, external apps etc that could be accidentally doing it?

Perhaps offering to backcharge the architectural firm for needing to set their hatching etc onto approprate layers might propt them to try a little harder for consistency (of course if they are from different firms then it may not really be appropriate)

[schrodingerscat]

The layers aren't reloading in a session unless I hit the reload button. What I mean is that each day I will reload the DWGs up to 10 times through restarting Revit, or simply reloading them, but every few times I do this it resets the layers. Inconsistently at that. It's not every single time they're reloaded, it'll happen and then the next time it won't, the next time it won't, and then it'll happen again.

I'm not running any external apps. Thought I'd hold off writing any more until RMEP 2010.

The biggest problem with that is we know the architecturals (and layers)are going to change. The completion date for the MEP drawings is 2 months before the completion date of the architecturals. Don't ask me how that works, I don't understand either, but the fact is that up until the very last issue we're going to be working with fluid drawings.

[Norton_cad]

Sounds like it's a system variable in the AutoCAD file which is linked to the Revit file.
Probably VISRETAIN :-

0 The layer table, as stored in the reference drawing (xref), takes precedence. Changes made to xref-dependent layers in the current drawing are valid in the current session only and are not saved with the drawing. When the current drawing is reopened, the layer table is reloaded from the reference drawing and the current drawing reflects those settings. The layer settings affected are On, Off, Freeze, Thaw, Color, Ltype, LWeight, and PStyle (available only in named-plot style drawings).
1 Xref-dependent layer changes made in the current drawing take precedence. Layer settings are saved with the current drawing's layer table and persist from session to session.