CREATING LINE TYPES

[ESchomberg]

Hi guys, I have been educated by you as to how to program line types before. I took diligent notes in my notebook and have not had an issue with this up until now. I am completely frustrated because I have successfully done this many times before.

I programmed a line for overhead utility and has been working fine, but my new client wants the text font different and a period as in O.H.U. I changed the text type, added the periods but the text is no longer lined up correctly with the lines. No matter what I change, be it the text size, x offset value or y offset value, nothing changes in the line. It is driving me crazy.

I will show a screenshot of my original line type which looks fine, and a screenshot of the new line type that will not change no matter what numbers I change.

[rkmcswain]

Please post the .LIN file. It's easy to fix, but difficult to explain with words.

[andrewpuller3811]

I am able to create the line style you are after using the below -

;;  ~~ ELECTRICAL LINE STYLES ~~

*ELEC1,Electricity Over head ---- OHU ---- OHU ---- OHU ----
A,5,-0.3,["OHU",Arial,S=0.5,U=0.0,X=0,Y=-0.25],-1.8

*ELEC2,Electricity Over head ---- O.H.U. ---- O.H.U. ---- O.H.U. ----
A,5,-0.3,["O.H.U.",Arial,S=0.5,U=0.0,X=0,Y=-0.25],-2.4

Note the line type uses the text style Arial which must be already defined in the drawing ( in this case it uses the arial.ttf font)

I found while working with 2017, the line types did not reload after being modified.

To see the changes made to the line type file, I had to make sure the line style was not in use, purge it from the drawing and then load it from the modified line type file.

In the help, about complex line types, it mentions that some text fonts do not work properly in AutoCAD line types, so it might be the text font you are using. 

From the autocad help, here - http://help.autodesk.com/view/CIV3D/2017/ENU/?caas=caas%2Fsfdcarticles%2Fsfdcarticles%2FHow-to-creat... it mentions -

"If you plan to use the LTSCALE or CELTSCALE command in the drawing, the text will change to the new size. Unless you follow these rules, it will shift out of alignment with the dashes that you have created.

• Create the text STYLE with a height of zero.
• Define the linetype, using the S= for the text height.
• If you change the text style height, any complex linetype using that style is affected. This will take affect after a REGEN.
• Use the text style exclusively for the complex linetype."

[ESchomberg]

I apologize for not following up, and thank you for the replies, I have been slammed at work and with drawings at night. I fully intend on following this up till the end. I Think I did post the .lin files but when I get more time I can just post the drawing. Thank you much!!

[ESchomberg]

Wow, this is really frustrating. I think it may be a software issue(he uses Carlson software). Even though I created a template for him in civil3d inserting his points seem to affect my styles and settings. If you draw a line using my OHU layer which I had no trouble creating at all, and have been using for a long time, you will see that it works perfect. If I try to change the text font to romans(which is what he wants) everything goes askew even though I am using the same programmed numbers that I used to create the OHU line type that works great. Also when I change the numbers within the bracket(trying to create the "new" OHU linetype , the text font will not move. I don't get it.

I was able to get your line type to work but the text was way to big and I didn't like the line to space ratio. I should be able to change these numbers and get results but it is not happening.

[andrewpuller3811]

What font is your text style LINE TYPES using?

It might be to do with the font that is on your computer.

I defined the Text Style "LINE TYPES" using romans.shx and loaded your line type and it appeared to work correctly. The O.H.U. was centred in the gap both vertically and horizontally (slightly off as the gap was not quite large enough). certainly nothing like your earlier screen shot.

Do you have the text height defined in your text style? This might be throwing the linetype off.

Is the elevation of your lines at zero? Having linework that changes elevation can throw off the text for complex linetypes as well.

[ESchomberg]

Wow, that is amazing that you got it to work. No I changed the text height in text style to zero. Did not check to see if the lines were flattened.

I will check in to this soon. Thank you for bareing with me

[ESchomberg]

Hmmmm, I did not think to try and flatten the line to zero. I may need to create the line type in my own civil3d template instead of the template I have created for him (where we are exchanging info from his carlson software). I will try that.

[ESchomberg]

Sorry, My computer has been down