Absolute layer removal...

[Ralph2]

Hello
I have inherited a drawing (our shop / offices / machinery etc.)made over many years by many individuals and am "trying" to clean it up.

My problem now is a number of layers that "appear" to have nothing on them but will not delete. Searching here and Google this seems to be a common and frustrating problem.

I have tried Supper Purge Lite (reduced from 57 layers to 36), I tried CDG Purge v2 but it will not run on AC 2008, there is some reference to CDG Purge v4 but I could not find it.

So... any other ideas or applications that force a layer delete.. I will re draw or fix what ever goes missing but would just as soon not have to draw the whole thing over.

And.. which may be connected.. How can one delete a block, there is a block editor but I can not find where to delete an unused block

Thanks for any advice
Ralph

 

[CarlB]

How about the Express Tools command "LAYDEL"?

And "PURGE" is the way to delete an unused block.

 

[MikeHalloran]

I thought 'purge' at the command line in bare AC would offer to delete unused blocks.

Maybe this page will help:

http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/7704-deleting-unused-blocks-file.html

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[ctopher]

You will have to find the block, then edit it, that contains geometry on a layer.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 4.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog

 

[ohiocad]

One last ditch thing, only recommended if you have a good idea what it is changing, is to use the layer merge command:

laymrg

It takes everything from a specified layer or layers, and moves it to a specified layer, then deletes the first set.

We've received drawings that have objects drawn on 2 distinct layers, depending on if they are wall sections, or enlarged details. For simplicity, we merge everything from the section layers into the detail layers.

Cuts the number of layers in half, without needing to redefine 85 blocks, BUT, we know exactly what is on what layer, so there are no surprises down the road.

If unsure what it will be changing, I'd be hesitant to use it.

 

[Ralph2]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. In the end I ended up cheating.. merged the final 15 layers into layer "0".
Given how much trouble there seems to be in removing layers, AutoDesk or some clever programmer needs to develop some analyzing routine that would expand on that cryptic message that one gets when there are xref-dependent layers or layers containing objects... I could find NOTHING on any of the layers that would not delete... GGRRRRRR
Ralph

 

[ohiocad]

A lot of the time, when I've been trying to clean up things like that, it ends up being something in the block, like an empty text string, or a single node buried under an object. The most troublesome that I've run across, is when it's buried in a polyline.

Don't know how it happens, or why, but sometimes when you list a polyline, it gives the points, area, perimeter, etc, and ends with "end layer" <insert layer name here> or something like that, which is different than the layer the polyline is on. No component of the polyline is on that layer, just that last line when you list it. Only ways I found to get rid of it were changing to another layer, then changing back (works sometimes), or exploding and recreating. But that means going through one line at a time listing objects trying to find it. Not usually worth the effor.