DynBlock - Stuck creating block with polar stretch, trying to "mirror" the line creating an X

[arnaud.vansteenkiste]

Hello,

I'm trying to create a block for X-bracing.

Using a polar stretch makes the length and angle changeable.

So far I can make it work.

But now I want to use this single, moveable point to also do the same actions but "mirrored" for the second bracing leg.

This is where I'm stuck and I have been trying to make it work for days.

I can make the second bracing leg move so it is in line with the start- and endpoint of the first bracing leg.

But I can't make it stretch to create the desired X-bracing.

I tried to use a second polar stretch which is chained and moves around but this doesn't seem to work.

All help would be appreciated.

@Libbya, I have been looking on the forums for all sorts of things and your name pops up in almost all of the answers I need.

I'm sorry to @ you directly but I'm hoping you can help.

Many thanks in advance!

[j.palmeL29YX · Accepted solution]

I am not Andrew 😉 and it is not exactly what you asked for, but ... give it a try. 

[arnaud.vansteenkiste]

Thanks a lot Jürgen, this comes very close to what I'm trying to achieve!

I've only been using AutoCAD for one year and I have no experience at all with constraints in blocks so I don't really understand how you made this block.

Would it be possible to move both "grip stretches" from your dwg to the same point and than make both of them chain actions of a polar stretch?

At this point I'm just guessing

[j.palmeL29YX]

---

@arnaud.vansteenkiste wrote:

I don't really understand how you made this block.

---

>>Here<< a video which shows step by step what I did. I hope it is self explaining. 

Near the end of the video I show what happens if we would put both grips at the same place. AutoCAD doesn't know which of the grips should be used. I f you are in luck it grabs both grips and the block works as you expect. But if you try this a second time it grabs only (in this case) the vertical grip, you can not drag the mechanism horizontally. In some cases you will not see any handle at all. Fazit: AutoCAD shows an inconsistence behavior, you should never put two grips at the same position. 

The last seconds of video show how the block is to handle. Assuming you want the upper right corner move to the center of the circle, grab one the grips and move it to the center point, then grab the other grip and move it too to the desired position. Done. I know, is would be easier to drag both directions at once, but for this I could not yet find a solution. 

Of course you also can type the numerical values for the needed width and height in the properties windows ...

[hwalker]

With some slight tweaks to @j.palmeL29YX drawing. I believe I've managed to do what you want with actions and parameters. See the attached drawing.

[j.palmeL29YX]

---

@hwalker wrote:

...  I believe I've managed to do what you want 

---

Obviously I misunderstood the task 😞  

[hwalker]

@j.palmeL29YX just needed a bit of tweaking. Your idea of making the ends blocks really helped.

[arnaud.vansteenkiste]

Thanks for helping, but actually @j.palmeL29YX 's solution is more what I'm looking for. The block you created fixes both red tightening systems when the one on the top should also move so that the full construction forms a rectangle with all four points in the corners of said rectangle.

[j.palmeL29YX]

A next attempt. Try it, test it, ... and accept it as solution(?) 

(I'm not sure if it works stable, because I mixed Parametric constraints with Dynamic Parameters/Actions - and in this forum I wrote estimated 1000 times: "Don't never do that!"  😉   😞   ).

[j.palmeL29YX]

And before you ask how it was done - >>Click<<.