Rotating objects

Rotating objects

Anonymous
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Message 1 of 22

Rotating objects

Anonymous
Not applicable

I am using AutoCAD 16 LT. I am creating Isometric views of Plumbing plans and I need to rotate stacks around the z axis.

How can I do this?

I can find nothing in help to do this in 2D.

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5,754 Views
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Message 2 of 22

steven-g
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Mentor

Can you post a dwg showing what you mean, if you are drawing using just the world UCS and standard isometric, then there is no way to rotate the details as vertical lines will become horizontal etc. If you want to draw the components from a different angle then it probably requires you to redraw?

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Message 3 of 22

pendean
Community Legend
Community Legend
Accepted solution
UCS command works in LT just like it did in AutoCAD: what's the challenge?

But isometrics are faked-3d, they are actually 2D flat drawings at an angle, and rotating it is not the same as working with and rotating to view 3D solids.

Did someone tell you iso drafting is "3D"?
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Message 4 of 22

Anonymous
Not applicable
Yes, standard world UCS and isometric flatline view.
I was hoping there was a new option in 2106 CAD that included rotating on the z axis in 2D.

We want to rotate item #27 & FS-1 on the z axis near to the angle shown in the plan view.
Thank you,



Chris Lavers
Terry Engineering
14742 Newport Avenue, Ste. 105
Tustin, CA 92780
O: 714-838-1124
F: 714-838-1406
clavers@terryengineering.com
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Message 5 of 22

pendean
Community Legend
Community Legend
Sorry, but I'm not sure I understand your desired effect in a 2D drawing. Explain more, show pictures or images, post a DWG file, something.

To rotate around the Z-axis you simply do this after you turn on UCSICON command, make it selectable, then do this https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-lt/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2017/ENU/Au...
Message 6 of 22

Emmsleys
Alumni
Alumni

Have you seen these suggested steps? 

 

Right-click the UCS icon, and click Rotate Axis. Click X, Y, or Z.

As you drag the cursor, the UCS rotates in the positive direction around the specified axis. You can also specify a rotation angle.

Tip: Hover over the grips at the ends of the X, Y, and Z axes to access the rotate options.
 
Additional info can be found here.


Sarah Emmsley
Technical Support Specialist

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Message 7 of 22

steven-g
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Mentor

From the sound of your post there should be a drawing to look at, unfortunately nothing is attached, if you are having problems attaching here then try something like dropbox and post the link. As mentioned by other people even LT can rotate things around all 3 axis (and anything in between) but it doesn't sound like that is what you are hoping to achieve. 

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Message 8 of 22

markymarkRE7H6
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you for clarifying that the 3d is faked for isometric drafting in Autocad lt. I have been trying to draw a vertical line viewed from SW then rotate view to SE to dimension and my line is horizontal. Thought i was loosing my mind.

It is a little misleading that we can pick an isoplane to draw on believing its really in that plane (3D) but its just virtual for that view,  not actually 3d. A vertical line to our viewpoint is actually a horizontal line moving away from the camera to go up and towards the camera to go down. if viewed from a perpendicular angle ( SW to SE/NW) it is horizontal going left or right. Wish I could afford Full AutoCAD knowing this. 

 

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Message 9 of 22

steven-g
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Mentor

Using Isoplane is the way to create these fake isometric views, using actual SW NW view then if you are just creating linework LT is capable of drawing lines in the Z direction by changing the UCS to Front, Left, Right, etc or just draw using 3D coordinates for the start and endpoints of lines. Seeing an example with an explanation would make it easier to describe how to do this.

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Message 10 of 22

markymarkRE7H6
Contributor
Contributor

Made this with isodraft on  from top view using isoplanes for poly line and elipse placement.

If i try to view from a different angle (iso SW) it is skewed version of top view.

When I draw to "Z" plane its not actually "Z" its just skewed "X" or "Y" to simulate true "Z"

Layout ISO Top is how I drew this, Layout Iso SW is an angle view I'd like to access.

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Message 11 of 22

markymarkRE7H6
Contributor
Contributor

How do I change UCS to Front?, would that allow switching views and seeing the drawing from different 3d angles, or is it still a flat drawing just simulating 3D with Fake Z plane or ISO left line drawn vertical?

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Message 12 of 22

h_s_walker
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It's just simulated 3D

Howard Walker
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Left Handed and Proud

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Message 13 of 22

markymarkRE7H6
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Contributor

Got it. Ok. So from one angle it can be achieved (simulated) but from only that angle.

Thank you.

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Message 14 of 22

steven-g
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Mentor

You can set the drawing plane by using the UCS command. Just type UCS and at the prompt then type 'front', 'back', 'left', 'right', 'top' (world), or 'bottom'. Typing UCS again will let you set the origin point for the UCS which makes it easier to draw if you pick a point on the plane you want to draw on. There are several 'rules' for drawing on a different UCS eg. polylines have to be planar (but that plane can have any orientation) circles are planar but a line is free of any restrictions. The other problem is visual styles in normal viewing mode everything is x-ray so you can see all geometry throughout model space making it very difficult to tell front from back. Luckily LT has a couple of commands 'HIDE', 'SHADE' and 'SHADEMODE' to help with that. (The attached file has shademode set to hidden).

To get you started see the attached dwg I don't know your exact sizes and one disadvantage of iso drawings is the actual sizes are often misrepresented. Drawing in 3D has the benifit of using actual real world measurements. And one other big advantage is circles can be drawn as circles without having to try and work out the settings for ellipses. Take a look and yes all isometric views SW, SE, NW, and NE all work.

Message 15 of 22

markymarkRE7H6
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you Steven G. That's exactly what I have been trying to accomplish. Not understanding what happens to the grid alignment when switching between different views, it looks like rectangles instead of squares and the iso plane cursor for drawing doesnt seem to line up with grid or shapes, but the drawing you added is what I have been attempting to achieve.  I was switching to an ISO view and drawing there, but what it looks I should have been doing is switch the plane view (top, front, left) and draw flat there. Similar to Sketches in Fusion 360 (noob there too). I will test a few additions and see how things line up. Closer to the right track now. Thank you 🙂

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Message 16 of 22

steven-g
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Mentor

Views and the UCS are completely separate, it is often easier to set an isometric view and then alter the UCS to create the drawing elements. But this is LT so it has its limitations. It might help if you type 'grid' followed by the option 'limits' and pick 'no' when prompted to show the grid beyond the limits, then type 'limits and set the drawing limits to some reasonable size like lower left -5.00,-5.00 and upper right 5.00,5.00 (based on your drawing object size) this gives you a nice visual reminder of the UCS plane you are actually drawing on when in the different views.

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Message 17 of 22

markymarkRE7H6
Contributor
Contributor

This the actual file i am working on. It is a plant layout with pipes that need to be dimensioned for an ISO drawing. I got a section of pipe to follow the path based on elevations, but the dimensioning is giving the challenge. The file you sent made the drawing a lot easier. I wish I could use the non LT version but so far its not an option. Im starting to grasp the concepts you have presented here and I am very appreciative. My drawing was started as flat and I have been tasked to create an ISO of just the pipes, not walls or tanks. The dimensions I started here are from the SW iso view, when turned to SE you can see how it was made on the wrong plane. There is just so much going on its hard to dim the correct line in a way thats viewable and at the correct angle. Thank you again for your coaching 🙂

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Message 18 of 22

steven-g
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Mentor

Take a look at the DIMEDIT command and the oblique option to give your dim extension lines a better alignment, as well as DIMTEDIT to rotate dim text. It will take a bit of figuring out but for this situation well worth the effort I think.

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Message 19 of 22

markymarkRE7H6
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Contributor

Thank you, I have looked at the knowledge base for aligning the dims and text which has helped. The issue for me is getting the dims to attach to the correct lines on the correct plane. When I used the ISODraft on and viewed from SW to draw the dims it looked correct from that angle view. but when i switched to SE view I noticed the dims were floating in are at a strange angle not connected to the lines i was trying to dimension. Your first post about setting the UCS to the plane I'm drawing in I think is the key. The revision you sent back I was able to make progress, but still learning to adapt that concept for my big drawing. If I view the plane straight on its hard to tell what depth I'm drawing, it seems just the front layer or closest to camera gets accessed. Like a line from x1 to x3 and view from X you see a dot, if you want to Dim a line from x3 to y3 the Dim ends up on X1 and floats strangely. Adding Z to the mix gets more confusing. I think in 3D and an ISO view makes sense but depth of field for inserting lines or dims is a challenge. toggling between views helps to confirm proper placement. I will learn shortcuts to speed this up to. I really appreciate your help. I will use your instruction to improve. Thank you.

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Message 20 of 22

steven-g
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Getting things on the correct plane is the trick, dimensions and hatches will accept any snap points on any geometry but will always be placed on the current UCS plane. So setting up your view to best visualize the situation is really important. That tip I gave earlier about setting up the limits and grid will help show where the current plane is located. And it will also help to use multiple viewports in modelspace so any problems are easier to see. The standard isometric views are also sometimes a cause of confusion, take a look at the vpoint command which will let you view modelspace from any angle you care to choose.

You can select the UCS icon and it shows a number of grips so you can grap those and drag the UCS to any part of your drawing you want and also orient it to a plane by clicking on a grip at the end of an axis and whilst holding the left mouse button drag that grip to align with any geometry (so you are not just limited to front, left and right etc.

It is a learning process as to what and how you can work in 3D using LT, plus getting used to what needs to be 'ON' the drawing plane what has to be 'parallel' to the drawing plane and what is free to be drawn anywhere regardless of the UCS setting.