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. There are 255 regular colors and two additional color properties that are often referred to as colors.

You can use seven of the 255 regular colors by name: white, blue, cyan, green, yellow, red, and magenta. (Numbers eight and nine are not named.) Each color has a unique number from 1 to 255. 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. BYLAYER is color number 256, and BYBLOCK is color number 0. In all commands where you would use a color, you can indicate BYLAYER and BYBLOCK as well as by numbers 256 and 0, respectively.

You can choose colors by selecting them from the color dialog box. At the command bar or in some dialog boxes, you specify a color either by name or by number.

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.

To set the current entity color

1. Do one of the following:
• Choose Settings > Drawing Settings.
• On the Settings toolbar, click the Drawing Settings tool ().
• Type settings and then press Enter.
2. Click the Entity Creation tab.
3. Click Select Color.
4. In the Color dialog box, click BYBLOCK, BYLAYER, or the color of your choice, or type the color number in the Index box.
5. Click OK.
6. Click OK again.

TIP  On the status bar, right-click on 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.