Linking parameters/multiple actions in a dynamic block

[Anonymous]

So I'm pretty sure this is straight forward, but being unsure on keywords to search online, or finding complex sounding walkthroughs, I decided I'd post here as it seems the best place (as it probably has been answered in similar threads somewhere on here at some point anyway).

Due to my company using Autocad LT, I am unable to create custom linetypes that are made of drawn items, so I have decided to create a dynamic block whereby a flexible cable can extend between two points (as per the attached .dwg file).

I've so far played around based on other forum posts I've found, and have reached two sticking points. Firstly I can have the cable extend properly, but both up and down curves have to extend at the same time, which is fine if I want to be limited to lengths of the cable. The second sticking point is when I try it differently, I do manage to get each curve extend one after the other, but it won't let me have the end point attach to the end of the curves. You'll see from the block so far that it extends, and the top curve then bottom curve appear alternately, but I want the next array to appear as soon as the grip hits that point so that the end node of the cable sits where it should and not an extra space away. Plus I have not yet linked the two, so have two separate grips.

I know I've not explained it very well or made the clearest of sense but hopefully enough people will understand what I mean when they have a look at the file attached.

- Basically, part of it boils down to a similar problem I have in more basic blocks I've drawn. Whereby I am linear arraying an item but regardless where I put the grip, it arrays at a further away distance than when the grip passes the position the next item should appear in, and I end up with the grip much further away than the block, rather than what I want which is for the grip to pass the next distance and the item to immediately appear.

For anyone who can make sense of my somewhat amateur description, many thanks in advance. Any help is appreciated!

[h_s_walker]

Can you downsave it to 2016 so some of us can have a look

[Anonymous]

AutoCAD wouldn't let me save as an older file as for some reason parts of the drawing werent supported by the 2013 file save version... even when removing my dynamic blocks I still had this same result. So I tried the AECTOACAD command which I read about in another post, and this seems to have saved it...

let me know if it doesn't work though.

[h_s_walker]

This should hopefully get you started.

I removed you parameters and put a single array parameter with a spacing of 6 and a minimum distance of 6. I also changed your block slightly so the distance between nodes is 6.

To the array parameter I attached both the arcs and the right hand hatch and circle.

I created two visibility states called full and half. The full one arrays every six units.

The half one adds a single arc and circle to the end. This was achieved by adding a move parameter to the linear distance, and adding an extra arc and circle to that.

Study the block to understand it better.

Also this post might be able to help you, you just need to hunt for the right symbol

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/custom-linetpye-with-solid-hatched-circle/m-p/3798077/h...

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that. That has solved some of my issue, in that I can now have the node at the exact point where things array, rather than appearing further away than the array happening itself.

However for this block, part of the problem was that I wanted a hatched S curve as the cabling, with then the circular hatch appearing at either end - something I'm unable to create as a custom linetype in AutoCAD LT. The dwg you've edited so far has the circular hatch array along the line, when I am only looking to have 2 of them from point to point, i.e. setting a move parameter for the second circle to wherever I want the cable to end. Along with this the curves need to appear top then bottom ideally, so that if I have a distance that is not the full length of the S shape, then half of it will still appear.

an example would be, the ~ shape of the block being a length of 10, so needing ~~~~ if my cable length needed to be 40. However if I needed a cable length of 35, then the final ~ would only half appear as the first curve.

Hopefully that's helped make sense of it, but thanks for what you've done so far as your block has helped me understand nodes and distances better.

[h_s_walker]

Unfortunately I can't get what you want to work.

You would need something to cover the hatch when the line stretches more than "1" unit but less than "2" units, unfortunately with arrays they're always drawn on top. So using a wipeout (which I was going to do) will not work as the arrayed objects will appear on top of it.