Points creation, change default local coordinates permanently?

[albionpjl]

This has been bugging me for a few releases.

I often create points manually. You get that dialogue box where you choose the layer and the default local coordinates, etc etc.

The local coordinates setting always defaults to Northing/Easting. (ditto the grid coordinates).

I set it to Easting/Northing as is standard around these parts and do my points, but if I close the box, when I reopen it to add more points later, it is back to Northing/Easting.

I cannot find a variable to control this behaviour.

I never need points to have north first and would like it to default to Easting/Northing at all times. Yes I'm using the Metric template.

Is there a way to change this default?

Thank you.

[AllenJessup · Accepted solution]

In the Toolspace on the Settings tab. Expand Point and Commands. Right click on CreatePoints and select Edit. In the Edit Command Settings dialog box expand Points Creation and and change Local Coordinates to Easting - Northing.

Allen

[albionpjl]

Yay! Thanks, that worked. I updated and resaved my template and it now defaults correctly to Easting/Northing.

On the same theme, when I create these points they always default to no labels. I'd like to change it so that they show labels by default and use autocad points. Is that somewhere in that dialogue box too?

I tried the default styles, but can't see where it sets whether it uses labels or not.

[AllenJessup]

Which Labels are you talking about. If you set a default Point Style that has Point Labels shown, you should get Point Labels unless you have a Description Key or Point Group that overrides that.

My personal thought is that points should not be brought in to a drawing without being included in a Point Group (other than All Points that is). If it's not being set by Description Keys or Description, then I prepare a Point Group ahead of time to put those point in and control the styles that way.

Allen

[albionpjl]

I've got it working now. I couldn't find a setting in the toolspace settings panel, so I made some points, set everything how I want it and then deleted them and saved the template. It seems to have worked. When I opened a new drawing and made some points they had labels and used the autocad symbols.

I rarely need point groups and have no idea what a description key is. The most I ever need on a point is a point, point number, and very occasinally a height.

Usually as soon as I create the points, I export the list, then explode all the cogo points into cad points and text and save that to be sent to the surveyor.

Thanks for the help, these changes should save a little time in future.

Ohhh unless I need to clear the numbers so it will reset to one?

I did and it's done. Found it in that same dialogue box ty

[AllenJessup]

No need to explode points. Use the command below and you'll get block that will probably be more useful to the Surveyor.

Allen

[albionpjl]

Thanks anyway, but if that's on the ribbon it would take longer to switch workspaces to get a ribbon (with the usual high risk of crashing) than to select all blocks and explode a few times. Plus which exploding everything means we can use the dwg in our GIS. It doesn't like CAD blocks and tends to dump them all at 0,0.

All the surveyor needs is to see which points go with which trench to be able to check that they are in the right place when setting out.

[AllenJessup]

If you ever do need it. ConvertPointsToSdskPoints is the command line version.

Allen

[albionpjl]

Thanks.

😄 Autodesk do like to give things nice simple easy to remember names, don't they LOL.