I used to have a third party plugin that had a "clone" command.
It was like "Add Selcted" & keep matching the properies for more new objects. So new objects would match the layer, linetype, etc.of what was previosly selected Not just the once.
Is there a command like this in ACA 2012 ?
thanks
Solved! Go to Solution.
Solved by David_W_Koch. Go to Solution.
Dean,
Where "add selected" will copy that object once. The "Keep matching" would make any type of objects you create from then on match the layer, color, linetype of what you just selected.
BTW there was an "unclone" command that would revert to the previous settings for new objects.
My guess would be that the "clone" feature simply set the drawing default settings to match those of a selected item, while saving the current settings in a variable so that the "unclone" feature could restore the previous settings. That does not exist as an out-of-the-box feature in ACA, but would not be terribly difficult to do in LISP. We try to get people to leave most of those settings "ByLayer" [with an exception for Linetype], so I would not have much interest in having such a program. But if you typically override color, linetype, linetweight, plot style, transparency etc. at the object level, such a routine would be useful.
>>> not terribly difficult to do in LISP
Unless you're me.
Seriously, If someone wants to try it, I think it's something a lot of folks would use.& maybe buy.
thanks
No customization required. Drag the object to a palette and then use the palette to add similar objects.
Here is a first draft of a customization that includes a CLONE and UNCLONE command. The CLONE function prompts the user to select an object in the drawing, and, if one is succesfully selected, saves a list of current drawing settings (for later use by UNCLONE, if desired) and then changes the default settings for the following properties (to be used when creating new objects):
Color (CECOLOR system variable)
Layer (CLAYER system variable)
Linetype (CELTYPE system variable)
Linetype scale (CELTSCALE system variable)
Plot Style (CPLOTSTYLE system variable; only for drawing using color-dependent plot styles)
Lineweight (CELWEIGHT system variable)
Transparency (CETRANSPARENCY system variable)
Thickness (THICKNESS system variable; only for objects that have a Thickness property)
Material (CMATERIAL system variable)
NOTE: In the interests of getting this first draft out, the following limitations and omissions are present:
1. The select objects prompt indicates a "Settings" option. This is intended to allow the user to select which of the potential nine properties of the selected object will be used when resetting values. This option is not currently functional.
2. Color currently only works for the AutoCAD Color Index of the selected object; True Color and Color Book colors are not supported. (AutoCAD assigns a Color Index number to objects that have a True Color or Color Book color - that value is used in these cases in this version.)
The attached ZIP file contains a compiled AutoLISP file, CLONE.vlx, which contains the CLONE and UNCLONE functions. Download the attachment and unZIP the file. You can load the VLX file the same way you load any AutoLISP file. In the 2014 release, you may want to place this file in a "trusted" folder, so that you do not get a nag dialog asking you to approve loading a file from a non-trusted location.
1, Drag the CLONE.vlx file from a Windows Explorer window and drop on the drawing window.
2. Type (load "CLONE.vlx") at the Command: prompt, if the file is in a folder included in the AutoCAD search path.
3. Use the Load Application tool on the Manage ribbon tab, Applications panel.
I have tested the functions to a limited extent, and believe they should work. Post back if you have any issues and I will try to find time to look into them (no promisses on how quickly that may happen). If you can post a sample file with content that reliably reproduces the problem, that will be helpful in determining the problem and speed any fix.
Here is version 1-2, which adds the ability for the user to choose which properties should be cloned through the Settings option, in a dialog box, and also has full support for True Color and Color Book colors. Otherwise, it loads and runs as mentioned previously.
I should also note that because the posted routine includes Transparency, it will not work in releases prior to the inclusion of Transparency as an object property. (Transparency was added in the 2011 release.) Likewise, it will not work in releases prior to Material being an object property (2007 release). Since Transparency is a more recent addition, that is the current limiting factor.