AutoCad Help

[doddy]

If you wanted to draw a line that starts a certain distance along another existing line, there is a short cut to input the base point to where you need it, instead of drawing the line at the end of the existing line and then moving it across, say 1200mm for instance.

I know there is a shorter way of doing this but cant remember how!

Any help appreciated, cheers.

 

[poobah]

Personally i don't ***** about and just draw a construction line the correct distance along the existing line i want to draw from, draw the new line and then delete the construction line. There's loads of short cuts but also many different ways to get the same result.

 

[SnapMonkey]

You can use the 'track' function.

1. Click the line tool
2. Type 'tk'
3. Click your first point
4. Measure your distance / direction in the standard way until you reach you desired start point
5. Double tap enter to cancel track mode.

Essentially this lifts the pen off the paper, and won't draw any new lines until you exit track mode.

Construction lines on a separate layer & colour work just as well, but bit of a faff compared to the above.

 

[Millsy]

You can use the 'track' function.

1. Click the line tool
2. Type 'tk'
3. Click your first point
4. Measure your distance / direction in the standard way until you reach you desired start point
5. Double tap enter to cancel track mode.

Essentially this lifts the pen off the paper, and won't draw any new lines until you exit track mode.

Construction lines on a separate layer & colour work just as well, but bit of a faff compared to the above.

Does that work with LT too?

 

[Adam.]

I just start the line at the end, fire in 1200 then shoot it out the dist required then delete the first part of the line .

 

[MicKPM]

Personally i don't ***** about and just draw a construction line the correct distance along the existing line i want to draw from, draw the new line and then delete the construction line. There's loads of short cuts but also many different ways to get the same result.

This is how we did it in the old days on drawing boards before AutoCAD - I remember using them well though we used a compass to construct an arc

 

[Millsy]

This is how we did it in the old days on drawing boards before AutoCAD - I remember using them well though we used a compass to construct an arc

Ha I also remember that, we were still using drawing boards as well as cad up until 6 or so years ago. Writing with a template was always a b**ch tbh and making mistakes and having to scrape it off. Things have definitely moved on for the better that's for sure!!

 

[MicKPM]

Yeah, stanley knife blades and nylon brushes sucked! Never bothered with a template/stencil though as my freehand was good enough. One guy was so terrible though that they paid for a stencil machine which made such a noise

 

[Millsy]

Yeah, stanley knife blades and nylon brushes sucked! Never bothered with a template/stencil though as my freehand was good enough. One guy was so terrible though that they paid for a stencil machine which made such a noise

Ha we all had to use stencils to standardise our drawings, was such a pain tbh. Still it was much more therapeutic compared to computers lol. Except when revising drawings lol

 

[doddy]

Thanks for all the replies!

I figured out the method in the end that I was thinking about.

It was clicking on polyline, hold shift and right click, click on 'from', then type '@' and click the end of a line for a base point, then type in how far across the line you want to start the new line.

I found this method really quick.

 

[Millsy]

Thanks for all the replies!

I figured out the method in the end that I was thinking about.

It was clicking on polyline, hold shift and right click, click on 'from', then type '@' and click the end of a line for a base point, then type in how far across the line you want to start the new line.

I found this method really quick.

Doh should've remembered that quick command, I don't use it but I do use from 2 points to start a line in the middle of a square etc or between two lines.

 

[Rob]

Doh should've remembered that quick command, I don't use it but I do use from 2 points to start a line in the middle of a square etc or between two lines.

For a square just use polar tracking surely?

I'm pretty new to AutoCAD and have taught myself, so my methods may be WAY off...

 

[Millsy]

Don't think so? Polar tracking is for tracking at particular angles isn't it?

I meant so that you can snap a line start point to the middle of anything be it, rectangles, squares, triangles, between two lines to then offset either side of that centre line to give wall thicknesses etc etc etc.

The shortcut command is found by starting the line tool or any other draw tool, pressing ctrl and right clicking then click on "mid between 2 points"

That "from" command mentioned above is pretty good, may start using that

 

[mikeyw]

The 'FROM' shortcut is definately the easiest way to do this. It depends on how you have your interface set up, however it is found in the shortcut menu & will apply a distance (of your input) from any point selected