AutoCAD - Linetype customising

[AJBuckers]

Could anyone tell me if it's possible to edit the out of the box fence linetype below:

*FENCELINE1,Fenceline circle ----0-----0----0-----0----0-----0--
A,6.35,-2.54,[CIRC1,ltypeshp.shx,x=-2.54,s=2.54],-2.54,25.4

to be just a line of circles with nothing inbetween like this:

0000000

And if it is possible, could you explain it? I've googled but nothing I could find explained it clearly and my attempts have failed so far.

Cheers!

[ The subject line of this post has been edited to include the product name by @handjonathan ]

[handjonathan · Accepted solution]

Hi @AJBuckers 

Thanks a lot for posting your question to the forums!   Yes, this should be possible with some understanding of the structure of the line type file.  See the below example on how the file is configured.

1- Line type name. (You can use underscore but no spaces).
2- Line type description. (It is limited to 47 characters in length).
3- Line type symbol appearance.
4- Length between each symbol.
5- Drawing unit space length before the symbol.
6- Line type symbol.
7- Type of line type (complex).
8- Line type scale
9- Angle of rotation for the line symbol.
10- X-coordinate position.
11- Y-coordinate position.
12-Drawing unit space length after the symbol.

[AJBuckers]

Hi @handjonathan thanks for the reply, concise and helpful as always. I've managed to get something pretty close to what I want with the info you've provided.

On a related note, I did attempt to make a linetype using the express tools, but we've had mixed results.

I've saved the linetype definiton and the associate shape files (shp & shx) on the server, added the directory to my support paths. The linetype works fine on my machine, however if others in the office try to load it they get this error message:

Their support paths are set up exactly as mine.

[Kent1Cooper · Accepted solution]

Touching, like this?

That was done with this definition:
A,0,-2.54,[CIRC1,ltypeshp.shx,x=-2.54,s=2.54],-2.54

By the way, @handjonathan, I would suggest modifying the image showing the makeup of a linetype definition.  It looks like notes about a linetype including a Shape insertion, but the definition shown is for one with a Text insertion.  4 should "point to" only the .5, not encompassing the A, [which is a universal element].  The .5 there is not the length between each symbol -- it's the first pen-down segment.  The length between symbols results from all pen-down and pen-up entries in the definition cycle.  6 is not a symbol in this case, but the text content of a text element.  7 is the Text Style to use for that.  8 & 9 are the scale [height] and rotation of the text element.

EDIT:  That linetype definition looks like a conversion from Imperial to Metric to get the same size, which seems pointless to me.  I suggest using this instead, so that you can use the effective linetype scale [the LTSCALE value combined with any object linetype scale assigned] to get the width [diameter of the circles] that you want directly, without the need to do calculations:

A,0,-.5,[CIRC1,ltypeshp.shx,s=.5,x=-.5],-.5

[Kent1Cooper]

---

@AJBuckers wrote:

.... The linetype works fine on my machine, however if others in the office try to load it they get this error message:

....

---

There may be other possible causes for that, but it is the message you get if the linetype definition includes a text element in a Text Style that is not in the drawing.  Ensure that all Text Styles used in linetypes are defined in the drawing.

[AJBuckers]

Thanks @Kent1Cooper that's exactly how I wanted it to appear 😎👍

[TomBeauford]

For a linetype using a shape to work for a coworker the shx file would have to be loaded while the linetype definition is saved in the drawing. I have wingdings3.lin, wingdings.lin & Arial.lin which use symbols in their font files so they work in any drawing with their Text Styles defined in them. The ltypeshp.shx should be loaded by default in installed template files so the shapes listed in ltypeshp.shp shouldn't ever need loading to use them in a linetype and several of them are used in the acad.lin file. 

I have a shape file that installs with Civil 3D, boucles.shx & shp (I found online with an assortment of arcs) and another from Florida Dept of Transportation that add all the shapes we need for linetypes. 

I've found shapes created with the express tool to be large and difficult to manage especially if anyone else needed access to the drawing and decided not to use them years ago.