2D Polyline
A Polyline is a complex CAD entity comprised of one or more line
and/or arc segments. One way to draw a polyline is to use the
Command: line, pulldown menu or toolbar to execute the standard CAD
command PLINE. While its elevation isn't necessarily zero, a
polyline is 2-dimensional or flat.
The Carlson version of the PLINE command, 2D Polyline, is available from the
Draw pulldown menu, from the Draw
toolbar or at the Command: line (2DP) and provides
many more options than the standard CAD version of the command.
Unless disabled, the Polyline 2D
Options dialog box will appear after starting Carlson's
2D Polyline command.
Show Options on Startup:
When this option is enabled, the Polyline 2D Options dialog box will
display automatically upon starting the 2D Polyline command. If disabled, the
command runs strictly from the Command: line.
Elevation: Set the
elevation of the polyline to be drawn.
Offset from Centerline: If this option is
enabled, an additional option, Offset,
is available from the Command: line. Issuing the "Offset" option
allows you to draw a new polyline using Station and Offset entry
from an existing polyline or existing Centerline (.CL) file.
Skip Inline Vertices for Extend: This
setting applies to the "Extend" option with the Total Distance SubMenu option. If enabled, an
existing vertex will dissolve when lengthening a 2D Polyline
segment.
Auto-Zoom Mode: This
setting provides 3 options for Auto-Zoom: Never, Proximity or
Always. The "Never" setting requires you to manually Zoom or Pan to
keep the current polyline vertex centered in the drawing screen.
The "Proximity" setting will activate the "Proximity Level" setting
and will automatically re-center the view only if the current
polyline vertex is within a certain distance of the limits of the
drawing area. The "Always" option will automatically re-center the
view after each new polyline vertex is added.
Annotate Closed Pads:
Enabling this option will activate the "Settings" button. The
"Settings" button displays the Label Pad Elevations dialog box where
you can specify label settings for the pad and other vertical
offset elevations. For instance, you can label both the Finished
Floor Elevation and the SubGrade elevation of a building pad at the
same time using this command. See additional information on the
Label Pad
Elevation command.
In the "Polyline
Properties" section of the dialog box you have several alternatives
for specifying the layer, color and linetype of the newly created
polyline.
Use Current Drawing
Properties: Select this option if you want the layer, color
and linetype of the newly created polyline to match those currently
set in the drawing.
Layer: Use this setting to
manually assign the layer for the newly created polyline. You can
type in the new layer name, use the "Select" button to choose an
existing layer from the drawing's layer list or use the "Pick"
button to select an entity in the drawing and match its layer.
Set Color: Use this button
to manually specify a color for the newly created polyline.
Width: Specify the width of
the newly created polyline.
Linetype: Use the "Select"
button to manually specify a linetype for the newly created
polyline.
Select Code: This option
allows you to set the layer, color and linetype of a new polyline
by using the properties assigned to a Field to Finish field code.
The field code is selected from an existing Field Code table (.FLD)
file that has been previously specified in the Point Defaults dialog box.
Prompts
Command:2dp
[Continue/Extend/Follow/Offset/OPtions/<Pick point or
point numbers>]: screen pick a point
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Offset/Undo/<Pick point or
point numbers>]: screen pick a point
Segment length: 202.55, Total length: 202.55
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Offset/Undo/<Pick
point or point numbers>]: screen pick a
point
Segment length: 179.73, Total length: 382.28
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Offset/Undo/<Pick
point or point numbers>]: screen pick a
point
Segment length: 127.45, Total length: 509.73
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Offset/Undo/<Pick
point or point numbers>]: press Enter
Command:
Options and SubMenu Options
Once all settings have been specified and the "OK" button is
picked, the options shown below are available from the Command:
line. To issue any of these options, simply type in the capitalized
portion of the Option at the Command: line and press Enter. The
default option is always shown between angle brackets <
Default >.
Continue: This option
allows you to select an existing polyline to which you'd like to
add more line or arc segments. When prompted to "Select a polyline
to continue or extend:", you may pick anywhere on the existing
polyline and the new segment will begin at the ending vertex
nearest your cursor. New line or arc segments can be added by
screen-picking or using the options at the Command: line. Once
finished adding segments, they are automatically joined to the
original polyline.
Extend: This option gives
you many ways to lengthen or shorten an existing polyline using the
abbreviated SubMenu options shown below. Some of these options
create additional segments at the end of the existing polyline and
some allow you to change the length of the ending segment of the
polyline. When prompted to "Select a polyline to continue or
extend:", you may pick anywhere on the existing polyline and the
"Extend" will occur at the ending vertex nearest your cursor. Once
finished Extending, the new segments are automatically joined to
the original polyline.
[I / R / L / S / T / A / B / E / U / X / Help / <Enter
or Pick Distance>]
I - Input mode - This option toggles the
distance input between feet & inches (will prompt first for
feet, then prompt again for inches) and decimal feet.
R - Right rotate - From the ending
vertex, turns the pointer 90-degrees to the right and then prompts
for a distance.
L - Left rotate - From the ending vertex,
turns the pointer 90-degrees to the left and then prompts for a
distance.
S - Switch direction - From the ending
vertex, turns the pointer 180-degrees and then prompts for a
distance.
T - Total
distance - Prompts you to "Enter total distance
(100.00)" and displays the current length of the segment in
parentheses. If a number smaller than the current distance is
entered, this option will shorten the existing segment. If a number
larger than the current distance is entered, this option will
lengthen the existing segment. This option is also affected by the
Skip Inline Vertices for Extend setting
in the Polyline 2D Options
dialog box. If "Skip Inline Vertices for Extend" is enabled, then
the existing vertex will be dissolved when lengthening a segment.
If the setting is not enabled, then the existing vertex will be
left intact and an additional segment will be created inline.
A - Angle change - From the ending
vertex, prompts you to "Enter Angle (ddd.mmss):" to turn the
pointer by a specified angle and then prompts for a distance.
B - Bearing/Azimuth/Turned/Deflection -
From the ending vertex, this option allows you to set the pointer
direction by specifying an Angle. The Angle format is Qdd.mmss and
there are a variety of ways to use the "Q" value to specify the
Angle. See here for more.
E - Extend to edge - Extends current
segment to another line or entity
U - Undo - Undo last action
X - Quit extend mode - Returns to normal
2D Polyline Draw mode
Help - Displays the descriptions of the
Extend options
Enter or Pick Distance - Distance to
extend the current segment
Follow: This option allows
you to trace all or a portion of an existing polyline. After
issuing the "Follow" option, you are prompted to "Select the
polyline to Follow:" and then to "Specify the first follow point:".
After snapping to a starting point on the polyline, you are asked
whether you want to "Interpolate follow vertices elevations?". With
this being a 2D Polyline, the answer to this is most likely "NO".
You will then be prompted to specify the "Last follow point or
follow distance:" where you can snap to another point on the
polyline or type in a distance to trace the existing polyline.
Offset: With the "Offset" option, you
will first be prompted to select an existing polyline or select an
existing Centerline (.CL) file. Next, you will be asked to "Specify
starting station:" where you will enter the station number of the
first polyline vertex. Then, you will be prompted to "Enter
Station" and "Enter Offset" for each vertex of the new polyline.
Note: To have this option available, you must place a check next to
Offset From Centerline in the
Polyline 2D Options dialog
box.
Pick Point or Point
Numbers: This is the default prompt for the command. From
here you can set a new polyline vertex by screen picking, entering
coordinates in X,Y format or entering a point number from the
associated Coordinate (.CRD) file.
Arc/Line: New polyline
segments can be either an Arc or a Line segment. If the last
polyline segment drawn was a LINE, then the "Arc" option will be
shown as an available option; however, if the last polyline segment
drawn was an ARC, then the "Line" option will be available.
When in the "Arc" mode, there are many additional SubMenu options
available to you for creating an arc segment within the new
polyline. The options are generated directly from the standard CAD
version of the PLINE command and include Radius Point, Radius
Length, Arc Length, Chord and Second Point (Point on Curve).
Close: This option will
create a new Line or Arc segment back to the starting vertex of the
polyline and results in a closed polyline.
Distance: This option
allows you to first enter a distance for the new Line segment and
then to specify the direction using one of three methods: Cursor,
Line or Angle.
Cursor - This method will draw the
polyline segment in the direction of your cursor position.
Line - This method prompts you to select
a line or polyline segment to which it will draw a parallel
segment.
Angle - This method prompts you for an
Angle to determine the direction of your new polyline segment. The
Angle format is Qdd.mmss and there are a variety of ways to use the
"Q" value to specify the Angle. See here for
more.
Undo: Undo the last drawn
polyline segment.
Angle Entry
Methods
The Angle format is Qdd.mmss where: Q=quadrant/angle, d=degrees,
m=minutes and s=seconds.
The Quadrant/Angle can be specified as:
1=NE (NorthEast)
2=SE (SouthEast)
3=SW (SouthWest)
4=NW (NorthWest)
5=AZ (AZimuth)
6=AL (turned Angle-Left)
7=AR (turned Angle-Right)
8=DL (Deflection angle-Left)
9=DR (Deflection angle-Right)
Pulldown Menu Location: Draw
Keyboard Command: 2DP
Prerequisite: None