Create linetype does not represent drawn line and has extensions at either end.

[Anonymous]

As a result of changes in our work methods and programs I have been tasked with creating custom line-types in order that data can be transferred from Trimble Business Centre to AutoCAD 2017, as CAD has always been our preferred method of editing / annotating drawings.

I have followed the tutorials and understand the process for creating the shape and then making the line-type from that object and have had some success.

My problems are associated with the line not representing the created / drawn line when the line-style is used within the drawing. I have played with scale factors and understand the process there.

1, I keep getting a line through the object with complex shapes, which follows the path of the selected start and end point. But it does disappear between the complex objects.

2, In simple line styles such as a dashed line I get a tail or extension line at the end of the line and when compressed it does not represent the line drawn.

(The below should be a continual 0.1 gap followed by a 0.15 line)

First line is as drawn, the verticals are my limits and not copied in.

Second line is a 2.6 metre line.

Third a 3.6 metre line.

 The tails do appear in the tutorials, can I turn them off.

3, Also why will the line-type not explode. I have read the forums on WMFOUT and have no idea. We have never had this issue before as the line-styles were created in Korec Geosite, and transferred across as

Any assistance would be gratefully received. Please keep it simple as everything I do with this product is self taught.

Kind regards and thanks in advance for your support.

[Anonymous]

Firstly, can you upload a drawing containing some of the linetypes you have created? (just a blank drawing with a line for each linetype so we can experiment)

Secondly, you do not need to create your own linetype for a simple dashed line - they exist already in autoCAD you just need to load them:

Scroll up and down in the load or unload linetypes' box to find one that suits

For dashed lines, you can use DASHED or HIDDEN and their variants DASHEDX2 etc.

Thirdly, you cannot explode a linetype to get back to its original shapes (in plain AutoCAD command. You may find a lisp, ask in the Customisation Forum to see if one exists)

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> 1, I keep getting a line through the object with complex shapes, which

>> follows the path of the selected start and end point. But it does

>> disappear between the complex objects.

If a symbol is part of the linetype, but you can't find it it might be too small (zoom in, maybe you can see it then) or the SHX file can't be found by AutoCAD (in that case you should get a warning when you open such a dwg-file, well, as long as you have not disabled this warning message)

>> 2, In simple line styles such as a dashed line I get a tail or extension

>> line at the end of the line and when compressed it does not represent

>> the line drawn.

The distances of the linetypes are to understand like "recommendation", but depenendent of the line length, polyline length or polyline segment AutoCAD will adjust the linetype definition to make sure you can see the start- and end-point. So e.g. if you have a linetype dashed with 2-paint / 2-empty / 2-paint ... but you have a line of length 3 it would start with about 0.75-paint  / 1.5 empty / 0.75 paint so you can see exactly where the line starts and where it ends.

For polylines it might be important to know about the "linetype generation" flag (>>>details<<<).

>> 3, Also why will the line-type not explode.

A line can't be exploded, as simple as that.

Also I have no idea why that should be needed. A line has a start-point and an end-point, that's what I need, the linetype only is an optical information on the paper to differentiate this line from others, to know it's like another type of object. Whatfor do you need to explode a line into the linetype definitions (and also what about changing the plot scale and so by default the distance values for the linetypes).

>> I have read the forums on WMFOUT

WMFOUT and WMFIN has issues, on one side it does not output all linetypes well and on the other side it might not hold the size of the objects. PDF would be the better choice I guess.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Marianne / Alfred,

Thank you both for your responses. I think many of my problems are resulting from the way in which we have imported data from our old systems and the templates may no longer be compatible.

I am going to start with a completely new template and use the tips and advice you have provided.

I have tried the PLINEGEN, and it does appear to change my line-styles when I have redrawn some.

I have tried using the upload ACAD ISO dashed lines, but all the sizing was incompatible with my drawing. I have now changed the global settings and insunits and appear to be getting better results.

Alfred in answer to your question of why I would want to explode a line, again this stems from our old methods of line creation in Geosite, I have now learnt that you can trim the lines as in any other.

I will make some changes and start afresh and if I still have the same issues will upload the new template for you both to see, and advise as to where I am going wrong.

Thank you both so much for your assistance and I will continue to persevere.

Kind Regards

Carl

[Kent1Cooper]

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@Anonymous wrote:

.... 

2, In simple line styles such as a dashed line I get a tail or extension line at the end of the line and when compressed it does not represent the line drawn.

....

3, Also why will the line-type not explode. ....

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For 2:  AutoCAD can only draw things in non-continuous linetypes in complete cycles  of the linetype definition.  For drawn objects whose length doesn't match a multiple of the length of the definition cycle, it always fills out the ends with continuous portions [what you're calling "tails"].  It has always worked that way.  But I don't understand what you mean by "when compressed it does not represent the line drawn."  If you mean when a Line is shortened  to minimize the continuous tails at the ends, I agree that [of course] that changes the length of the original  line drawn, but it does represent the resulting shorter line drawn.  When you don't want to change the length to do that, you can fine-tune the linetype scale  of an individual object to minimize them.

For 3:  Exploding of linetypes into separate dashes and/or embedded text elements and/or shapes has never been a native capability in AutoCAD, but just yesterday there was >this topic< that may get you what you want.

[dbroad]

In addtion to what @Kent1Cooper said, you should avoid exploding linetypes at all costs as it greatly reduces functionality and greatly increases file size.  Adjust the linetype scale of short lines  or very long lines to display a complete linetype. If you must have a symbol at the end of a line, then create it as a block with a mask and insert it.  This should be a relatively rare situation.  You can also design dynamic blocks to simulate straight lines with symbol arrays.

[Kent1Cooper]

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@dbroad wrote:

.... you should avoid exploding linetypes at all costs ....

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In general, I agree.  But there was someone who needed non-continuous linetypes broken up because of the needs of some processing equipment, or some such thing, and someone else had a reason to want to Object-Snap to the endpoints and/or midpoints of the dashes within a linetype.  Over time I worked up something -- BreakUp.lsp, available >here<.

However, it's a little different from "Exploding a linetype."  It works only with AutoCAD's dash/gap/dot types, and it has their configurations built into it, so it won't do a custom linetype without some work to incorporate its dash/gap configuration and make a command for it, and it won't do linetypes with text or shapes embedded.  Also, it doesn't read an object's linetype, but wants you to specify which linetype to break something up into -- if you want something broken up into the dashes and gaps of the Hidden linetype, you must use the command BU-HIDDEN, regardless of what linetype the thing you want broken up may have.  There are other limitations and caveats [see comments in the file], but it may serve some people's purposes.