Bridging

[Wileyone]

I would like to know if there is an option in AutoCAD LT 2012 (or any version of AutoCAD for that matter) that will "bridge" two parts together.  We have a CNC type machine that follows the line of geometry on an AutoCAD drawing to cut parts out of our material.  When we have multiple parts being cut at the same time, we must create a "bridge" between those parts by breaking the geometry of the two parts and connecting them together with another line of geometry.  When nesting parts together on a sheet of plywood for example, we place parts very close to each other then bridge them all together so it is one completely connected line of geometry for the machine to follow.  The attached drawing will show an example.  If AutoCAD cannot do this, does anyone know of a software that would?

[steven-g]

If you are looking for a command that will completely automate your task it isn't in autocad (at least not that I know of). You didn't state how you do the bridging now, but I think the command you want is 'BOUNDARY'. See the attached drawing, you will need to arrange your parts manually shown in red then drop in bridging rectangles shown yellow, your base line shown blue, and finally another rectangle to surround the whole lot (you could use the size of your sheet material for that to make sure it all fits) then issue the BOUNDARY command and pick any point outside your parts but inside the outer rectangle as shown and the polyline shown to the right will be created for you (I moved it to the right). You just need to make sure there are no breaks in your geometry.