Title: Introduction to Polylines and Multilines Chapter 15
1Introduction to Polylines and MultilinesChapter
15
- Sacramento City College
- EDT 310
2Polylines
3Polylines
- The term polyline is composed of the words "poly"
and "line." - Poly means many.
4Polylines
- A polyline is
- A single object that can be
- Made up of one or more varied-width line segments.
5The PLINE Command
6Polylines
- Polylines are drawn with the PLINE command.
- The TRACE command, is similar to the PLINE
command. - Both commands can be used to draw thick lines.
- PLINE has numerous advantages over TRACE
7Polylines
- Polylines advantages over normal lines
- 1. Polylines can be drawn as thick or tapered
lines. - 2. Polylines are more flexible than lines drawn
with the TRACE command. - 3. Polylines can be any linetype.
8Polylines
- 4. Polylines can be edited.
- 5. Closed polygons can be drawn.
- 6. The area or perimeter of a polyline object can
be determined easily. - 7. Arcs and straight lines of varying thickness
can be joined as single objects.
9Polylines
- The PLINE command is similar to the LINE command.
- But
- All segments of a polyline are treated as a
single object. - Lines drawn with the LINE command, are individual
segments.
10Polylines
- To draw a polyline,
- Pick the Polyline button from the Draw toolbar
- OR
- Pick Polyline from the Draw pull-down menu
- OR
- Type PL or PLINE at the Command prompt
11Polylines
- Command PL or PLINE
- Specify start point (select a point)
- Current line-width is 0.0000
- Specify next point or Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/
Undo/Width (select the next point) - Press Enter to end the PLINE command and return
to the Command prompt.
12Polylines
- A line width of 0.0000 produces a line of minimum
width.
13Setting the Polyline Width
- To adjust the Width of a PLINE
- Use the Width option after you enter the PLINE
command to change the line width, and - have selected the first point of the PLINE.
14Polyline Options
15Polyline Options
- Polyline Options
- Width
- Halfwidth
- Length
- Undo
16Setting the Polyline Width
- Width option
- Specify the starting and ending widths of the
line. - The starting width value that you specify becomes
the default setting for the ending width. - To keep the line the same width, press Enter at
the second prompt.
17Setting the Polyline Width
- If a tapered line is desired, enter different
values for the starting and ending widths.
Starting Width 0.0000
Ending Width 1.0000
18Halfwidth Option
- Halfwidth option
- Allows you to specify the width of the polyline
from the center to one side.
19Length Option
- Length option
- Not intuitive
- Allows you to draw another polyline having the
same angle as the previous polyline. - To use After drawing a polyline
- Reissue the PLINE command
- Pick a starting point.
- Enter the Length option
- Give the desired length.
- The 2nd PLINE will be parallel to the first PLINE.
20Undoing Previously Drawn Polylines
- Undo option
- Use while inside the PLINE command
- Erases the last polyline segment drawn.
- Enter U at the prompt line and then press Enter
- Each time you use the Undo option, another
polyline segment is erased.
21Undoing Previously Drawn Polylines
- The cursor remains attached to the end of the
polyline segment that was drawn before the undone
segment. - You can now continue to draw additional polyline
segments - OR
- Type U and press Enter again to undo another
segment.
22Undoing Previously Drawn Polylines
- Undo Option
- You can use the Undo option to remove all of the
polyline segments up to the first point of the
polyline. - The segments are removed in reverse order (from
the order in which they were drawn).
23The U Command
24The U Command
- The U command works in much the same way.
- The U Command is not the Undo option of the PLINE
command. - The U command can be used to undo any previous
commands.
25The U Command
- To execute the U command
- Pick the Undo button from the Standard toolbar
- OR
- Pick Undo from the Edit pull-down menu
- OR
- Pressing the CtrlZ key combination
- OR
- Enter U at the Command prompt.
26The U Command
- The U command can also be activated by
- Right-clicking in the drawing area.
- Selecting Undo from the shortcut menu.
- AutoCAD gives you a message indicating which
command was undone - Command U
- PLINE
- Command
27The U Command
- You can only undo one command at a time.
- Repeated UNDOs can be executed.
- The UNDO command,
- Has more options than the U command
- Is more versatile than the U command.
28The REDO Command
29The REDO Command
- The REDO command
- is used to bring back objects that were erased
with the UNDO and U commands.
30The REDO Command
- Enter REDO at the Command prompt
- OR
- Pick Redo from the Edit pull-down menu
- OR
- Press the CtrlY key combination
- OR
- Pick the Redo button from the Standard toolbar to
activate the command.
31The UNDO Mark
- The REDO command works only immediately after
undoing something. - REDO does not bring back polyline segments that
were removed using the Undo option of the PLINE
command.
32The TRACE Command
33The TRACE Command
- To draw thick lines, the TRACE command can be
used instead of the PLINE command.
34The TRACE Command
- To use the TRACE command
- Enter TRACE at the Command prompt.
- Specify the trace width.
- Select points as you would with the LINE command.
- The trace width is stored in the TRACEWID system
variable.
35The TRACE Command
- Command TRACE
- Specify trace width ltcurrentgt (enter width)
- Specify start point (select start point)
- Specify next point (select second point)
- Specify next point (select additional points or
press Enter to complete) - Command
- Trace segment ends are mitered to fit the next
segment.
36The TRACE Command
- The problems with TRACE are
- The previous trace segment is not drawn on screen
until the next endpoint is specified. - There is no close option with the TRACE command.
37Filling Polylines and TracesThe FILL Command
38The FILL Command
- Traces and polylines can be
- Filled in, or
- Shown as an outline.
- These functions are controlled by the FILL
command. - The FILL command has two modes, ON and OFF.
39The FILL Command
- Command FILL
- Enter mode ON/OFF ltcurrentgt
- When the FILL is on, traces and polylines appear
filled after they are drawn. - When FILL is off, traces and polylines appear as
outlines, and the corners are mitered.
40The FILL Command
- After turning FILL off, REGEN to have the fill
removed.
41The FILL Command
- FILL on
- May slow down your computer.
- If you have many wide polylines or traces in a
drawing, keep FILL mode turned off. - This saves time when redrawing, regenerating, or
plotting a check copy of the drawing.
42The UNDO Command
43The UNDO Command
- The UNDO command is different from the U command.
- The UNDO command offers several options that
allow you to undo a single command or a number of
commands at once.
44The UNDO Command
- The command sequence is as follows
- Command UNDO
- Enter the number of operations to undo or
Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back
45The UNDO Command
- The default option allows you to designate the
number of previous command sequences you wish to
remove. - If you enter 1, the previous command sequence is
removed. - If you enter 2, the previous two command
sequences are removed. - AutoCAD tells you which commands were undone with
a message after you press Enter.
46The UNDO Command
- Command UNDO
- Enter the number of operations to undo or
Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back 2 - PLINE LINE
- Command
47The UNDO Command
- There are several other types of undo operations
that can be performed with the UNDO command.
48The UNDO Command - Auto Option
- The Auto option can be turned on or off.
- When Auto option is on, any commands that are
part of a group and used to perform a single
operation are removed together. - When a command contains other commands, all of
the commands in that group are removed as one
single command. - The Auto option is on by default.
49The UNDO Command - Auto Option
- If Auto is turned off, each command in a group of
commands is treated individually.
50The UNDO Command - Control Option
- The Control option allows you to specify how many
of the UNDO command options you want active. -
- You can even disable the UNDO command altogether.
51The UNDO Command - Control Option
- To use the Control option
- Enter C after issuing the UNDO command
- Enter the number of operations to undo or
Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back C - Enter an UNDO control option All/None/One
ltAllgt (enter a control option and press Enter)
52The UNDO Command - All Option
- The All suboption keeps the full range of UNDO
command options active. - All is the default setting.
53The UNDO Command - None Option
- The None suboption disables the U and UNDO
commands. - When disabled, and the U command is entered, the
following prompt appears - Command U
- U command disabled. Use UNDO command to turn it
on - This prompt indicates how to reactivate the U and
UNDO commands.
54The UNDO Command - Auto Option
- If you type UNDO at the Command prompt, the
following appears - Command UNDO
- Enter an UNDO control option All/None/One
ltAllgt - To activate the UNDO options, press Enter for
All.
55The UNDO Command - One Option
- Enter 0 for the One suboption.
- This setting limits UNDO to one operation only.
- Command UNDO
- Control/ltlgt -i
- LINE
- Everything has been undone Command
56The Auto Option
- Type C at the Control/ltlgt prompt to redisplay
the Control suboptions.
57The Begin and End Options
- The BEgin and End options of the UNDO command are
used together to perform several undo operations
at once. - They allow you to group a series of commands and
treat the entire group as a single command. - Once the group is defined, the U command is then
used to remove the commands that follow the BEgin
option but precede the End option.
58The Begin and End Options
- These options are useful if you can anticipate
the possible removal of several commands that are
entered consecutively.
59The Begin and End Options
- For example, to undo the next three commands
- Command UNDO
- Enter the number of operations to undo or
Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back BE - Command L or LINE
- Command PL or PLINEJ
- Command L or LINE-I
- Command UNDO
- Enter the number of operations to undo or
Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back EJ - Command U
60The Begin and End Options
- The U command undoes the three commands that were
executed in the previous sequence. - The BEgin option must precede the command
sequence - The End option must immediately follow the last
command to be undone.
61The UNDO Mark
- The UNDO Mark option allows you to insert a
"marker" in the undo file. - The UNDO Back option then enables you to delete
commands "back" to the marker.
62The UNDO Mark
- If you do not want certain work to be undone by
the Back option, enter the Mark option after
completing the work - Command UNDO
- Enter the number of operations to undo or
Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back Mj - Command
63The UNDO Mark
- If you decide to remove any work, reissue the
UNDO command and enter the Back option. - This will undo everything back to the marker
- Command UNDO
- Enter the number of operations to undo or
(Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back B
64The UNDO Mark
- If no marks have been entered, this undoes
everything in the entire drawing! - AutoCAD questions your choice with the following
message - This will undo everything. OK? ltYgt
65The UNDO Mark
- If you want everything that you have drawn and
edited to be undone, press Enter. - If not, enter N or NO and press Enter, or press
the Esc key.
66The UNDO Mark
- CAUTION Be very careful when using the UNDO Back
option. - Entering this option undoes everything in the
entire drawing. - You can bring back what you have undone if you
- type REDO at the Command prompt and
- press Enter immediately after using the UNDO
Back option.
67The UNDO Mark
- If you use any other command, even REDRAW, after
using UNDO Back, the drawing is lost forever !
68The UNDO Mark
- The REDO command can be used to restore commands
removed with UNDO.
69The UNDO Mark
- The UNDO Mark option can be used to assist in the
design process. - If you are working on a project and have
completed a portion of the design, mark that spot
with the Mark option and then begin work on the
next design phase. - If anything goes wrong with this part of the
design, use the UNDO Back option to remove
everything back to the mark.
70Multilines
71Drawing Multilines
- A multiline consists of between 1 and 16 parallel
lines that act as one line. - The lines in the set of multilines are called
elements.
72Drawing Multilines
- Multilines are commonly used for drawing
- Roads
- Walls of buildings for architectural plans.
73Drawing Multilines
- The MLINE command is accessed by
- Picking the Multiline button from the Draw
toolbar - OR
- Picking Multiline in the Draw pull-down menu
- OR
- Typing ML or MLINE at the Command prompt.
74Drawing Multilines
- Three commands relate to multilines
- MLINE. (ML)
- MLSTYLE.
- MLEDIT.
75Drawing Multilines
- The MLSTYLE command
- Allows you to create multilines.
76Drawing Multilines
- The default multi-line style has
- Two elements (lines).
- Continuous line type.
- Is called STANDARD.
77Multiline Justification
- Justification determines how the resulting lines
are offset.
78Multiline Justification
- Justification
- Can be specified only once during a single MLINE
command sequence and - Is based on a counterclockwise rotation direction.
79Multiline Justification
- The justification options are
- Top
- Zero
- Bottom
- TOP is the default
- The current value remains in effect until changed.
80Top Justification
81Zero Justification
82Bottom Justification
83Multiline Justification
- To change the justification
- Enter J at the first prompt
- Enter the first letter of the desired
justification - Top
- Zero
- Bottom
84Multiline Justification
- The justification setting is stored in the
AutoCAD CMLJUST system variable.
85Adjusting the Multiline Scale
- The Scale option controls the multiplier for the
offset values specified in the MLSTYLE command. - The multiplier is stored in the CMLSCALE system
variable.
86Adjusting the Multiline Scale
- When the scale is 1, the distance between
multiline elements is equal to 1 times the offset
distance. - If the offset distance is 0.5, the distance
between multiline elements is 0.5 when the
multiline scale is 1. - If the multiline scale is 2, the distance between
multiline elements is 1 (0.5 x 2).
87Adjusting the Multiline Scale
- For zero justification,
- The multiline elements are offset 0.5 units on
either side of the definition points picked. - Example If the multiline scale is 2
- Top and Bottom justification 2 units offset
- Zero justification 1 unit and -1 unit offset.
88Setting Your Own Multiline Style
- ML Command Style option
- Allows you to specify the current multiline
style. - The style must be saved before it can be accessed.
89Setting Your Own Multiline Style
- Using saved Multiline styles
- Type ML
- Type ST - to access the style option,
- Type the known multiline style name.
- A ? lists all of the names of the multiline
styles. - Typing a name of a multiline style that does not
exist, the Load multiline style from file dialog
box is displayed
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91Setting Your Own Multiline Style
- Multilines are stored in the acad.mln file
library.
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94Setting Your Own Multiline Style
- You can load the multiline style from another
file (not acad.lin). - Custom multilines can be purchased for AutoCAD.
95Defining Multilines
96Multiline Styles
- Use the MLSTYLE command to define multilines.
97Multiline Styles
- The MLSTYLE command can be accessed by
- Picking the Multiline Style entry in the Format
pull-down menu - OR
- Typing MLSTYLE at the Command prompt.
98Multiline Styles
- The Multiline options are
- Current
- Name
- Description
- Load... Button
- Save... button.
- Add button.
- Rename button.
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100Multiline Styles
- Current Text box.
- The Current text box makes the specified
multiline style current. - Specifying a different style changes the setting
of the CMLSTYLE system variable. - Until you create a multiline style, the only
style available is STANDARD.
101Multiline Styles
- NameText box.
- This text box is used to enter the name for a new
style. - Description Text box.
- An optional description of your multiline style
may be entered in this text box.
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103Multiline Styles
- Load... button.
- This button allows you to load a multiline style
from an external multiline definition file. - Save... button.
- The Save... button is used to save a style to a
file.
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105Multiline Styles
- Add button.
- Pick the Add button after entering a multiline
style name in the Name text box. - This adds the multiline style name to the list of
defined styles. - Rename button.
- Pick this button to rename a multiline style.
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107Creating A Multiline
108Element Properties Dialog Box
- Create a new multiline style by
- 1. MLStyle
- 2. Type name of new multiline
- NewExample
- 3. Click ADD
109Multiline Element Properties
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111Element Properties Dialog Box
- Elements Properties Dialog Box contains
- Elements area.
- Add button.
- Delete button.
- Offset text box.
- Color... button.
- Linetype... button.
112Element Properties Dialog Box
- Elements area.
- Displays the current
- Offset.
- Color
- Linetype settings
- for each multiline element.
- Picking one of the elements highlights the items
for modification.
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114Element Properties Dialog Box
- Add button.
- Add a new element to the multiline definition.
- Delete button.
- Deletes a highlighted item in the Elements area.
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117Element Properties Dialog Box
- Offset text box.
- Enter either a positive or negative offset value
for a highlighted element.
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119Element Properties Dialog Box
- Color... button.
- Accesses the Select Color dialog box.
- Pick the color you wish to assign to the
highlighted element. - After picking OK, the new color is displayed in
the image tile next to the Color... button.
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122Element Properties Dialog Box
- Linetype... button.
- Pick the desired linetype from the Loaded
Linetypes list. - Linetypes must be loaded before they can be used.
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130Multiline Properties Options
131Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- The Multiline Properties dialog box offers
additional options for customizing multiline
styles. - Access by
- Picking the Multiline Properties... button in the
Multiline Styles dialog box. - See Figure 15-12.
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134Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- You can add the following to multi-line elements
- Caps.
- Segment joints.
- Background color.
135Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- Joints
- Are lines that
- connect the vertices of adjacent multiline
elements. - Joints are also called miters.
- Display joints check box.
- This check box turns the display of joints on and
off.
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138Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- Caps
- Are lines that
- Connect the vertices of the beginning or ending
points of the multiline elements. - Caps area.
- Controls the placement of caps on multilines.
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143Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- Caps can be set at the
- Start points
- Endpoints
- Both.
144Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- Arcs can also be specified.
- Arcs can be set to connect the
- Ends of the outermost elements only
- Pairs of interior elements
- Both the outer and interior elements.
- The arcs are drawn tangent to the elements they
connect. - Specifying outermost arcs to be drawn requires at
least two multiline elements.
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152Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- Angle Text Box
- Allows you to change the angle of the caps
relative to the direction of the multiline
elements.
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155Multiline Properties Dialog Box
- Fill area.
- If the check box labeled On is activated, the
multiline is filled with a solid fill pattern in
the color specified. - Pick this check box to activate the Color...
button. - You can leave the color set to BYLAYER or change
it by picking the Color... button.
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160Multiline Styles
161Multiline Styles
- MLSTYLE command
- Displays the Multiline Styles dialog box.
- Use this box to define, edit, and save multiline
styles. - Styles can be saved to an external file so they
can be used in other drawings.
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163Editing Multilines
164Editing Multilines
- The MLEDIT command permits limited editing
operations for multiline objects.
165Editing Multilines
- Access this command by
- Picking Multiline... from the Modify pull-down
menu - OR
- Entering MLEDIT at the Command prompt
- OR
- Picking the Edit Multiline button in the Modify
toolbar.
166Editing Multilines
- The Multiline Edit Tools dialog box is displayed.
167Editing Multilines
- The image buttons give you an example of what to
expect when using each editing option.
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169Editing Intersections
- Pick a button to create the type of intersection
shown. - The name of the MLEDIT option is displayed in the
lower left comer of the dialog box when you pick
an image button.
170Editing Intersections
- Closed Cross.
- The first multiline selected is called the
background. It remains unchanged. - The second multiline selected is called the
foreground. It remains unchanged.
171Editing Intersections
- Note that the trimming is apparent, not actual. (
! ) - This means that the line visibility of the
background multiline is changed, but it is still
one multiline.
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173Editing Intersections
- U to undo the intersection you have just made.
174Editing Intersections
- Cross editing options
- Closed Cross.
- Open Cross.
- Merged Cross.
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176Editing Tees
- Other Tee editing options
- Closed Tee
- Open Tee.
- Merged Tee.
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178Editing Intersections
- Other options
- Corner Joint.
- Add Vertex.
- Delete Vertex.
- Cut Single.
- Cut All.
- Weld All.
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180Editing Intersections
- Corner Joint.
- Allows you to create a corner joint between two
multilines. - The first multiline is trimmed or extended to its
intersection with the second multiline.
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182Editing Intersections
- Add Vertex.
- Adds a vertex to an existing multiline at the
location you pick.
183Editing Intersections
- Add Vertex
- The command sequence differs slightly from the
sequences used with the other MLEDIT options. - After you select the Add Vertex option and pick
OK, you are prompted with the following - Select mline (pick a location on the
multilinefor the new vertex) - Select mline or Undo j
- Command
184Editing Intersections
- Delete Vertex.
- The Delete Vertex option allows you to remove a
vertex from an existing multiline. - The vertex closest to the location you pick is
deleted.
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