topic Re: New linetype in AutoCAD Forum

New linetype

bthomas_tta — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 18:40:20 GMT

I am trying to create a new linetype in AutoCAD 2000i. In a new drawing, at the command prompt, I type in -linetype, then c (for create), then FB1 for the new linetype name, then click on the acad.lin icon, click on save, type in 1 Hr Fire Barrier for the description text, then type in: A,.177527,-.096957,.046256,-.096957,.177527,-.004554,"FB1",PEA_Notes,y=-.052322,s=.1,u=0],-.249357 then click enter then enter again. When I then try to load the new linetype, it doesn't exist.

I got the code from the University of Nevada as a linetype for a 1 hr fire barrier on a Life Safety drawing I am trying to draw.

Re: New linetype

Kent1Cooper — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 19:07:57 GMT

Without analyzing too closely, I notice one element missing [this may not be the only problem]:

A,.177527,-.096957,.046256,-.096957,.177527,-.004554,["FB1",PEA_Notes,y=-.052322,s=.1,u=0],-.249357

Re: New linetype

bthomas_tta — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 19:29:03 GMT

I tried it again, still nothing. As many times as I have tried this I find it hard to believe that I missed that character every time or that I have mis-typed the string each time. Never say never though. Anyway, I tried again trying to be careful of my typing but still it doesn't work.

Re: New linetype

paullimapa — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:29:42 GMT

University of Virginia has the same listing:

https://www.fm.virginia.edu/docs/ges/LifeSafetyCADREquirements2018.pdf

The problem has to do with the use of Text Style "PEA_Notes"

Instead replace all occurrences with "Standard"

Also make sure the linetype definition completes and does not return to a second line.

Now use AutoCAD's LINETYPE command click on LOAD and select from the attached File UVA.LIN and you should be able to load all of the linetypes including FB1

Re: New linetype

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:11:05 GMT

@bthomas_tta wrote:

.... still nothing. ... still it doesn't work.

What does that mean?

Does it not offer the linetype to load from the file? If that's the problem, is the file missing the empty line at the end that is needed? Press Ctrl+End to get to the very end -- that should be an empty line below the last line of code, not at the end of the last code line.

Does it load but things given that linetype don't show that way? If so, do you see the dashes and gaps but not the text part? ~~That could be from the Style not being present.~~ [Actually not -- you would get a "bad definition" message when trying to Load it,] Or is the text part the wrong size? That could be from the Style having a fixed height. Or do you not see any dashes or gaps or text? That could be a matter of linetype scale.

Something else?

Re: New linetype

pendean — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:00:09 GMT

@bthomas_tta This is a STYLE that needs to pre-exist in your DWG file first and foremost

here is a quick tutorial for a refresh (and don't forget that missing [ noted earlier)

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-create-Complex-linetypes.html

Re: New linetype

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 15:26:50 GMT

I also wonder where all those wacky long decimal places come from. Are they necessary? [I imagine they come from generating a linetype based on totally free-hand no-snap no-numerical-entry drawn elements, which I think is bad practice.] This simpler version works fine for me:

A,.18,-.1,.05,-.1,.18,-.005,["FB1",ATextStyleThatExistsInTheDrawing,y=-.05,s=.1,u=0],-.25

It would need to be a really specialized critical application for those additional decimal places to be needed, and it's hard to imagine what could possibly require that in a linetype.

Of course, the ideal size for that final negative number [the pen-up gap around the text part] will depend on the font used in the Style's definition, which will affect the actual size of the text inclusion.

Re: New linetype

bthomas_tta — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 16:04:33 GMT

I will give it another try. I'm wondering; you said to make sure the linetype definition completes and does not return to a second line. When I have done this before, after I type in the definition and click enter it goes to another line of "option: [?/Create/Load/Set]. I just click enter and it goes to the Command prompt. Apparently I'm not getting my definition to actually complete. I'll try again using the Standard text style as you advised and see what happens.

Re: New linetype

paullimapa — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 16:40:42 GMT

Remember after you’ve successfully created the linetype say into a file like FB1.lin you still need to select the Load option and then select FB1.lin to bring that new linetype into the current drawing

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACDLT/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-8A8F6924-9B1C-41E6-A0E9-3A95DD96CD42

Re: New linetype

bthomas_tta — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 16:57:37 GMT

Correct, when I try to load the new linetype it does not appear in the list of linetypes in the acad.lin file. The instructions on how to create a new linetype that I found on the .www do not say anything about a blank line after the last line of code. I have not been clicking Ctrl+End. I scoured the manual that came with my platform (in those days we actually got a printed manual) but there is nothing in it about creating new linetypes. I'll try again.

Re: New linetype

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:24:41 GMT

@bthomas_tta wrote:

.... I have not been clicking Ctrl+End. ....

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by that. It would not be part of the process through the command-line creation. What I meant by it was to do that in acad.lin open for editing in Notepad, to see whether that file ends with a blank line. [I think that is mentioned somewhere in the documentation*, but I didn't find it in a quick look.] If that turns out to be the problem, the big question in my mind is how the command-create procedure doesn't complete the end of the file correctly [assuming it puts the added definition at the end].

In any case, open acad.lin in Notepad just to see whether the linetype definition itself actually got in there. If not, you can put it in yourself -- you don't need to do it by way of the -LINETYPE command.

EDIT: Another possibility: Might you have more than one acad.lin file, in different places, and might you have added the definition to one that's not the one AutoCAD is working with? At the command line, type in:

(findfile "acad.lin")

and it will tell you where the one it "sees" is located.

* [I found where that requirement is explicit for Hatch patterns. Now I'm wondering whether I just have that on the brain, and whether it's really true that it's also needed for linetypes.... In a quick trial, it seems it's not -- sorry for the wild goose chase. But do check the file for at least the presence of the linetype you tried to add, and for possibly more than one such file.]

Re: New linetype

bthomas_tta — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:22:23 GMT

When I open the acad.lin file my new linetype FB1 isn't there. As for a second acad,lin file I will have to perform a search. I will also research how to create a new acad.lin file and/or add the FB1 to the existing acad.lin file.

Re: New linetype

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:30:02 GMT

@bthomas_tta wrote:

.... As for a second acad,lin file I will have to perform a search. ....

In the -LINETYPE / Create process, at the point where you pick acad.lin to be the file to add the definition to, it is displaying the folder location of the one you pick on. If that matches the location reported by the (findfile) function, then it's not a multiple-files issue, and there's some other problem....

Re: New linetype

bthomas_tta — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:42:10 GMT

I only find the one (1) acad.lin file and it does match the file that I pick in the linetype create process.

Re: New linetype

paullimapa — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:46:39 GMT

Did you try saving the UVA.lin I attached in my reply and then use the Linetype command to Load that?

Re: New linetype

bthomas_tta — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:02:46 GMT

Yes. The code is identical to the one I had. I substituted Standard for the PEA_Notes. After entering the code and the next line appeared on the command line I clicked on Load. The new FB1 did not appear.

Re: New linetype

paullimapa — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:12:23 GMT

Let’s go about this another way. So instead of typing in your own at the command line save the UVA.lin file I posted to your c drive then use the linetype command without the - dash in front to bring up the dialog box then click Load from there and select File button and choose the UVA.lin file in your c drive and click Open. Now you should see a list of linetype names including FB1 to select and click OK to load into the current dwg. Are you able to get this far?

Re: New linetype

bthomas_tta — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 21:45:37 GMT

I downloaded the UVA.lin file and moved it to my AutoCAD program/support folder. I then started a new drawing and drew a couple lines. I then did the typed in linetype (without the -), clicked load, clicked on the UVA.lin file, and got 14 bad definition pop-ups. Two did survive; the SP and SR linetypes. But, those are just dashed lines, same as the dashed lines in the acad.lin file so nothing of any usefulness.

Re: New linetype

paullimapa — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 22:13:43 GMT

Looks like your acad 2000i is not recognizing any of the complex linetypes (those that include a text string) in UVA.lin

Try again using the LINETYPE command to LOAD the attached FB1.lin version which as others have suggested drops off the decimal precision to see if that makes a difference:

*FB1,1 HR Fire Barrier A,.177,-.096,.046,-.096,.177,-.004,["FB1",STANDARD,y=-.052,s=.1,u=0],-.249

BTW, are you able to use the acad 2000i's built-in GAS_LINE linetype which uses the following definition:

*GAS_LINE,Gas line ----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS-- A,.5,-.2,["GAS",STANDARD,S=.1,U=0.0,X=-0.1,Y=-.05],-.25

Re: New linetype

pendean — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 22:21:30 GMT

@bthomas_tta wrote:

...clicked load, clicked on the UVA.lin file, and got 14 bad definition pop-ups....

Can you share that problem DWG file here?

@bthomas_tta wrote:

...the SP and SR linetypes. But, those are just dashed lines, same as the dashed lines in...

That's all the definitions are designed to do

I'm not seeing any issues using that LIN file in AutoCAD here, try the attached in your older 2000i AutoCAD