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Coming Soon AutoCAD Plugin

LayerGuard

Professional Layer Management & Drawing Normalization

A production-quality AutoCAD plugin that detects layer misuse, rescues layerless drawings, and aggressively normalizes third-party drawings to industry-standard layer structures — preventing costly manufacturing errors and saving hours of manual cleanup.

Zero Data Loss
One-Step Undo

LayerGuard interface screenshot

The Problem LayerGuard Solves

AutoCAD doesn't enforce layer discipline. Drawings from vendors, PDF imports, and legacy files often have everything dumped on Layer 0.

Laser Cutting Errors

Dimensions exported as cut geometry — parts get physically etched with measurement text.

CAM Failures

Mixed content on manufacturing layers causes CNC programs to crash or produce garbage output.

Scrap Parts

Incorrect layer assignments send wrong geometry to the cutting table — wasted material and time.

Non-Compliant Deliverables

Drawings fail government and civil standards audits due to missing or incorrect layer structures.

Wasted Time

Hours spent manually cleaning vendor drawings — inspecting every entity, reassigning layers one by one.

Three Powerful Modes

Choose the right level of intervention for your workflow — from read-only auditing to complete drawing normalization.

AuditOnly

Analyze layer usage without making any modifications. Perfect for review and quality control.

  • Comprehensive layer reports
  • Zero modifications to drawing
  • Safe for QC workflows

Audit report screenshot

Default

Repair

Intelligent detection and repair of layer issues. Automatically classifies entities and rescues layerless drawings.

  • Auto entity classification
  • User confirmation before changes
  • Non-destructive — preserves properties

Repair mode screenshot

RebuildToStandard

Complete drawing normalization to LG_* standard layers with 12-rule scored classification.

  • 9 canonical standard layers
  • BYLAYER enforcement
  • Original layers backed up as _LG_ORIG_*

Rebuild mode screenshot

Intelligent Entity Classification

The rescue engine uses a 12-rule scored classifier that analyzes entity type, geometry, and linetype to automatically route every entity to the correct layer — no manual inspection required.

Dimensions & Leaders LG_DIMS
Text & MText LG_TEXT
HIDDEN linetype LG_HIDDEN
CENTER / PHANTOM LG_CENTER
DASHED linetype LG_BEND
Closed geometry LG_CUT
Open contours LG_ETCH
Blocks & Hatches Preserved

Classification engine screenshot

Manufacturing-Ready Layer Standards

RebuildToStandard creates 9 canonical LG_* layers with production-proven settings. Customize layer colors, linetypes, and lineweights to match your shop standards.

Layer Purpose Color Linetype Lineweight
LG_CUT Cut profiles, through-cuts Red (1) Continuous 0.50 mm
LG_ETCH Etch/engrave contours Green (3) Continuous 0.25 mm
LG_BEND Bend lines Magenta (5) DASHED 0.25 mm
LG_DIMS Dimensions White (7) Continuous 0.13 mm
LG_TEXT Annotations White (7) Continuous 0.13 mm
LG_CENTER Centerlines, center marks Cyan (6) CENTER 0.09 mm
LG_HIDDEN Hidden edges Cyan (6) HIDDEN 0.25 mm
LG_CONSTRUCTION Construction geometry Gray (8) CENTER 0.09 mm (non-plot)
LG_REVIEW Ambiguous entities Yellow (2) Continuous 0.50 mm

Built-in Safety Guarantees

LayerGuard is designed to be fearless to run. Every operation is safe, reversible, and transparent.

Zero Data Loss

Never deletes entities — only reassigns layers. Your geometry is always preserved.

User Confirmation

All changes require Yes/No approval. Nothing happens without your explicit consent.

One-Step Undo

All operations run in a single transaction. Ctrl+Z reverts everything instantly.

Non-Destructive

Never overwrites existing layer properties in Repair mode. Your standards stay intact.

Respects Layer States

Frozen, off, and locked layers are reported but never modified. Policy-driven states are sacred.

Who Needs LayerGuard?

If you've ever spent an hour cleaning up someone else's drawing, LayerGuard was built for you.

CAM Programmers

Preparing flat patterns for laser, plasma, and waterjet cutting

Drafters & CAD Managers

Maintaining layer standards across teams and projects

Civil Engineers

Working with vendor or legacy drawings requiring standards compliance

Government & Standards Orgs

Requiring strict layer discipline and audit-ready deliverables

Anyone with Vendor Drawings

Receiving drawings from outside sources with poor or no layer structure

Commands

CHECKLAYERS
Main analysis and repair command. Prompts for mode selection (AuditOnly / Repair / RebuildToStandard) and scope (entire drawing or current selection).
LAYERGUARDCONFIG
Diagnostic command showing active configuration, file paths, and resolved settings.

Configuration

Works great out of the box with sensible defaults. Fully customizable when you need it.

  • JSON-based configuration

    Customize layer colors, linetypes, and lineweights

  • Flexible search paths

    Plugin folder or %APPDATA% — your choice

  • Policy controls

    Linetype fallbacks, auto-load behavior, overwrite protection

  • Diagnostic command

    LAYERGUARDCONFIG shows active settings and resolved paths

System Requirements

AutoCAD 2020–2026

Including verticals: Civil 3D, MEP, Architecture, Map 3D, Mechanical

Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit) or later
Internet connection

Required once every 5 days for license verification

macOS not currently supported

Need macOS support? Let us know

Installation

Install LayerGuard from the Autodesk App Store in three simple steps:

1

Download from App Store

Access the Autodesk App Store from AutoCAD's Manage tab or visit apps.autodesk.com

2

Run the Installer

Double-click the downloaded installer — the setup wizard handles everything automatically

3

Restart AutoCAD

Restart AutoCAD to activate the plugin — LayerGuard commands are ready to use

Pricing

Simple, Transparent Pricing

One product, one price. No hidden fees, no feature tiers.

Monthly

$50

per user / month

Flexible month-to-month billing

Cancel anytime

BEST VALUE

Annual

$500

per user / year

Save $100 (2 months free)

Billed annually

All plans include:

All 3 operating modes
Unlimited drawings
Free updates
Email support

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