Subject: Setting the current entity color

An entity’s color determines how it is displayed and, if you are using a color printer, how it prints. Entities are created in the current color.

When you open a new drawing, entities are created in the color BYLAYER, which adopts the color of the current layer. Initially, layer 0 is both the only layer and the current layer. Its default color is white, so your entities appear as white.      

There are index colors, which contain two additional color properties that are often referred to as colors, true colors, and color book colors. The two additional color properties are BYLAYER and BYBLOCK. These color properties cause an entity to adopt the color either of the layer or of the block in which it is a member.

To set the current entity color

   1   Do one of the following to choose Drawing Settings ():     

•   On the ribbon, choose Application button > Drawing Utilities; Home > Drawing Settings (in Utilities); or Tools > Drawing Settings (in Manage).

•   On the menu, choose Tools > Drawing Settings.

•   On the Tools toolbar, click the Drawing Settings tool.

•   Type dsettings and then press Enter.

   2   Click the Entity Creation tab.

   3   Click Select Color.

   4   In the Color dialog box, click one of the following tabs and select a color:

•   Index Color — Click BYBLOCK, BYLAYER, or one of the 255 index colors. You can also type the color number in the Index box.

•   True Color — Click a basic color, click a color in the color palette, enter the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance (HSL) values, or enter the Red, Green, Blue (RGB) values. There are more than 16 million true colors from which you can choose.

•   Color Books — Select a color book from the list, then click a color. You can select Show Only Color Book Colors Used in Drawing to limit the selection to only those color book colors that are used in the current drawing.

   5   Click OK.

   6   Click OK again.

Use the status bar shortcut.
On the status bar, right-click the current color, and select from the list the color you want to use for new entities. You can also click Select Color to choose additional col­ors.