Edit Bar controls: Entry Mode, Rewind, Projection, Angle, Overrun, Radius, Clockwise, Small, Create Duplicate Entities, Palette Group, Palette.
This tool allows you to draw a series of connected lines and arcs, but it may equally well be used to draw a single line or arc.
There are several ways of creating new lines/arcs, controlled by the Entry Mode pull-down list box. The options are:
- 2 Pt. Line; create a line by specifying the start and end points
- 3 Pt. Arc; create an arc by specifying the start point, a point through which the arc passes, and the end point
- 2 Pt. Arc; create an arc tangential to the previous entity by specifying the start and end points
- Arc StartEndRadius; create an arc of specified radius (or diameter) by specifying the start and end points
After the first entity is drawn, subsequent entities start at the end of the previous entity. If you are using 2 Pt. Line mode, after the first pick, the following items may appear on the Edit Bar:
- Projection - allows you to lock the line to a specified angle and draw to an existing entity (plus or minus a specified distance)
- Angle - the angle to be used for the projection
- Overrun - an optional overrun (if positive) or underrun (if negative) distance for the projected line
- Using Projection, you should pick the entity for the projected line to reach. If the new line cannot be projected to the entity (if they are parallel for example) then no new entity is created. The Projection checkbox automatically clears itself, as it is unusual to need to project twice in succession.
If you are using Arc StartEndRadius mode, the following items may appear on the Edit Bar:
- Radius - controls the size of the arc. You can either enter the required radius on the edit bar or use the Nudge keys to adjust the radius interactively.
- Clockwise - determines the direction of the arc
- Small - determines which part of the arc is drawn (less than 180 degrees or more than 180 degrees)
- This mode works very similarly to the ArcStartEndRadius tool.
If you wish to delete the last entity created, click on the Rewind button on the Edit Bar. You cannot do this once you have cancelled the tool.
To start a new series of lines/arcs, not joined to the current series, press the right mouse button and use Restart LineMultiple from the context menu. Similarly, an alternative way to change mode is to choose from the list shown on the context menu.
Related topics: Notes On Draw Tools