topic Re: Line thickness in Modeling

Line thickness

griggadee — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 10:06:31 GMT

Hi Folks,

Do anybody know how to create a custom sized thick line? I do not want to use pen settings to achieve this, i.e. ok once printed, but want to create actual lines, both whole and dashed that are thick in appearance in my work space. I do not want to use the view actual line thickness options in on-screen options either. See the attached JPEG for an example of what I want to achieve.

Cheers,

Paul

Re: Line thickness

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:30:36 GMT

For this purpose I use a custom made FILL that can be used in Slab, Wall, Roof composites. So in that way is visible in Sections!

Re: Line thickness

Dwight — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:59:10 GMT

Make a line type several parallel lines at once. They merge.

Re: Line thickness

JaredBanks — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:40:47 GMT

I like the fill idea. Of course that could just be used as a 2D fill instead of a 3D object. I've seen this trick also used to incorporate fire ratings into the center of wall composites (then with smart pen set usage the fire ratings can be turned on and off).

Also out of curiosity, why not just use pen sets and a unique pen number for the fat lines?

Re: Line thickness

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:53:11 GMT

Jared,
you are wrong. It is a 3D element (skin in composites) or a separate element ( waterproofing for slabs and walls).

Re: Line thickness

JaredBanks — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:05:57 GMT

I know what you're showing is a 3D element. And that is very cool and elegant solution. (and if you use pen sets like Til Breton advocates: http://blog.graphisoftus.com/archicad-user/adding-legibility-to-details you could easily turn the dashed line of the 3D element on and off)

But it doesn't have to be 3D. And that's the point I wanted to make. I'm just saying that you could draw a thin 2D fill and if the fill has the dashes built into it then you could get the same effect but not have to worry about the 3D implications. If you're showing a flashing line or drainage plane, you might not want to model that in 3D.

See the attached image.

Re: Line thickness

griggadee — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:16:28 GMT

Thanks to one and all for the responses. Dwight was spot on though in pointing me in the right direction so thanks for this.

For others looking for the exact same solution as I was, here is an idiot proof breakdown of how I achieved it as it took quite some time to get it right. You could obviously change the spacing and line lengths to tweak the line to how you want it, but for me, I wanted to create a 5mm thick dashed line that was clearly visible at any scale without having to use the on-screen option ‘view true line weight’ which I feel makes it harder to see & draw accurately, particularly when there are multiple lines in close proximity (in response to your question Jared). When used on a 1:5 detail this line type looks like the attached image which is exactly the line type I wanted for my damp proof and breather membranes.

Set model space (floor plan) to a scale of 1:5

Then draw 39 horizontal solid lines, 8mm long at 0.05 vertical centres.

Select and copy these lines.

Open the ‘Line Types’ window.

Click on ‘New’.

Select ‘Symbol’, rename your line type and click ‘OK’.

Click the ‘Paste Line Components’ button to place the copied parallel lines into the box above.

Set the dash to 4 and the gap to 2.

Select ‘Scale with plan (model size)’ and then click ‘OK’.

Job done! This way, the line will appear to be exactly 5mm wide which is perfect for achieving nice clear looking detailing. Hope this helps people.

Cheers,

Paul