Transferring Attributes

The Eyedropper tool transfers attributes from one object to another in a single step, including fill, pen, line, text, wall, and other attributes. The Eyedropper tool has two modes.

 

Mode	Description
Apply Attributes	Transfers selected attributes to another object
Pick Up Attributes	Selects an object’s attributes

Pressing the Option (Macintosh) or Ctrl (Windows) key switches between the Pick up and Apply modes.

 

To transfer object attributes:

1.	Click the Eyedropper tool from the Basic palette.

2.	Click Eyedropper Tool Preferences from the Tool bar.

The Eyedropper Preferences dialog box opens. Specify the attributes to be selected and applied by the Eyedropper tool, and click OK.

 

Parameter	Description
All	Selects all attributes in the group for transfer
None	Deselects all attributes in the group, clearing any selections that were already made
Fill Attributes	Transfers fills, including foreground and background colors, styles (pattern, hatch, gradient or image fill), and textures
Pen Attributes	Transfers pen foreground and background colors and styles (pattern or dash)
Line Attributes	Transfers line weight (thickness), presence of markers, and marker attributes
Text Attributes	Transfers text attributes to another text object, dimension, or plug-in object, including font, size, style, alignment and spacing Alignment and spacing are transferred to text objects only
Wall Attributes	Transfers wall thickness and component settings for walls and round walls; components define wall thickness, so components cannot be transferred without also transferring the thickness parameter
Viewport Attributes	Transfers viewport attributes to another viewport, including class and layer visibility settings and attribute overrides. Other Properties refers to the remaining viewport options such as view, render mode, projection, and advanced properties. Viewport attributes can be transferred between files; class, layer, and other resources specified in an attribute override are resolved by the name of the class, layer, or resource, respectively.
Object Opacity	Transfers an object’s opacity setting
Other Attributes
Record	Transfers the database record attributes
Plug-in Parameters	Transfers plug-in parameters between plug-in objects, including objects inserted in walls
Class	Selects the class for transfer (makes the target object the same class as the source object)
Pick Up Sets Defaults	Changes the default Attributes palette settings to match those of the source object; objects created from then on use the attributes of the source object
Use Class Attributes	Transfers the “by-class” settings of the source object, provided the target object is in the same class as the source object

3.	Click Pick Up Attributes from the Tool bar.

The cursor changes to an eyedropper.

4.	Click the object that is the source of the attributes.

5.	Click Apply Attributes from the Tool bar.

The cursor changes from an eyedropper to a paint bucket.

6.	Click the target object for the attributes.

The attributes are transferred to the object.

If transferring attributes between files, the target objects, classes, records, dash patterns, textures, and other attributes must already be present in the target file. The eyedropper tool does not create objects or attributes.