topic Re: Creating static mleader edges when using dashed line-types. in AutoCAD Forum

Creating static mleader edges when using dashed line-types.

bryanAJSNP — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:12:38 GMT

Hi there,

This may be way more specific than is necessary, and I may be going about doing this wrong, but I recently started as an MEP engineer using AutoCAD and have been trying to figure out this issue I've been running into with mleaders and dashed lines.

Our firm used leaders to call out homeruns in electrical schematics. Many of them use the old qleader(leader) command, which inherits all of its attributes from the current dimension style. I have tried to re-create how the qleaders looks and functions, but by using the new mleaders. I am doing this because mleaders allow you to specify the landing location first, which is a more natural motion to create electrical homerun callouts that all match in angle and length.

I've gotten everything to match except for a very peculiar issue with the edges of the leader lines. When creating a leader with qleader, it makes sure to always have a portion of the dashed line along the edge as you are dragging it out, and will adjust to keep it so.

With mleaders, there are times that I can adjust the angle or spacing so that the dash in the line falls at the corner/edge, giving an ugly looking corner with no line there.

Does anybody have any idea where I should go to change this? I'm not sure if its because qleader may use a different line type under the hood, and mleader uses maybe a polyline under the hood or something like that, but for the life of me I cannot find a setting, variable, or button to tweak to make them look the same.

Below are two videos showing what I'm talking about. Pay attention to the edge when dragging the leaders out.

Thanks!

(view in My Videos)

Re: Creating static mleader edges when using dashed line-types.

CGBenner — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:30:40 GMT

@bryanAJSNP

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

I admit it has been years since I've worked in AutoCAD, but I remember some sort of setting for linetype generation on polylines. I think it is PLINEGEN. Maybe try that for these mleaders?

Re: Creating static mleader edges when using dashed line-types.

bryanAJSNP — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:48:59 GMT

@CGBenner

Just tried that, unfortunately no dice with any of the settings! Thanks for the suggestion

Re: Creating static mleader edges when using dashed line-types.

imadHabash — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 14:12:50 GMT

Hi,

Would you please attach here that mleader as a CAD dwg file for testing?

Re: Creating static mleader edges when using dashed line-types.

bryanAJSNP — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:40:00 GMT

Hi there, attached is a demonstration drawing showing what I am looking for. Thanks!

Re: Creating static mleader edges when using dashed line-types.

CGBenner — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 15:52:07 GMT

@imadHabash

Hello! Were you able to take a look at the sample drawing attached above?