topic Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line in AutoCAD Forum

DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

paul.wood — Wed, 30 May 2018 15:40:45 GMT

I want to draw a line "B" starting at a point 16.7' along line "A".

What is the best way to do this?

Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

Kent1Cooper — Wed, 30 May 2018 16:10:02 GMT

You can use the (fe) Osnap function defined in FromEnd.lsp, available >here<.

You can also, in the situation in the image, use Object Snap Tracking, but (fe) will also work other than in straight directions, such as along an Arc or Spline or Polyline with bends within the desired distance.

Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

GrantsPirate — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:48:43 GMT

With the Osnap set to endpoint and Otracking on, start the line command and hover over the endpoint (on intersection if that Osnap is on) pull the cursor the direction you want to go, with Polar or Ortho on, type 16' enter.

Or just start the line command, select Endpoint in the short cut menu (shift+RMB), not open the short cut menu again and pick endpoint, now select the endpoint, type @Anonymous'<0 and hit enter.

Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

paul.wood — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:49:57 GMT

Don’t know how to do lisp. So can’t do what you told me.
Also, I can’t get Pmeasure to work

Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

tboehler — Wed, 30 May 2018 20:21:45 GMT

Look into Object Snap and Object Snap Tracking. No need for lisp - this will only take a couple seconds to use once you're familar with it. (like grantspirate mentioned above).

Or, just drawing a line at the beginning of your "a" vertically and move it 16.7 to the right with ortho on.

Or use offest 16.7.

Many ways to quickly create that line. I would say learning the object tracking is your best option. Youtube it.

Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

Kent1Cooper — Wed, 30 May 2018 20:47:20 GMT

@paul.wood wrote:
Don’t know how to do lisp. So can’t do what you told me.
Also, I can’t get Pmeasure to work

[PMEASURE won't do what you want in this case, anyway -- it will only place a Point or Block.]

To use (fe), put the FromEnd.lsp file at any folder location [preferably but not necessarily a folder in your Support File Search Path list in OPTIONS], and in a drawing, use APPLOAD to Load it. Then call up the Line command, and when it asks for the first point, type (fe) with the parentheses, and follow the prompts.

That's assuming that when you said "line A" in Message 1, you really meant that A is specifically a Line object. The (fe) function measures from the nearer end of an open-ended object, so if A is, for example, a segment within a Polyline, and the Polyline doesn't start or end at the point from which your want to measure, (fe) won't do what you want, and Osnap Tracking is the way to go, as long as you're dealing with only straight distances in only polar-tracking directions.

Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

paul.wood — Thu, 31 May 2018 09:09:03 GMT

Love your answer.
Paul Wood

Re: DRAW LINE certain distance "in" along another line

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 11:15:03 GMT

thanks bruv