topic Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD in Modeling

How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

toman311 — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:05:16 GMT

Usually when I draw a line the distance information I enter in through the keyboard is drawn in the direction I have my mouse relative to the initial point but somehow that has changed into entering information in the x and y coordinates instead of distance.

So, basically, when I draw a line I have to enter in the x-coordinate and the y-coordinate. I also have to type in a negative sign or not for direction. I don't know how this has changed from the standard of entering a number in for the distance, but I would like to change it.

Help,
toman

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

Dontknow — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 16:00:46 GMT

Have you tried the tab-key to cycle through the options, or hit the D-key to enter 'distance'?

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

toman311 — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 16:56:18 GMT

The TAB key cycles through the different drawings options which include the X-axis distance and the Y-axis distance among others if the TAB key is pressed enough. I didn't have to do this before the settings changed to where I have to cycle through the options with the TAB key. I don't know how the settings got changed either.

The D command doesn't do anything that I have noticed.

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

Dave Seabury — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 19:55:05 GMT

Toman

grab the line tool and start to draw a line by placing one point, don't place the second point. instead right click the mouse and at the bottom of the pop
up menu, select "prefer polar coordinates in tracker". that should get you back to where you were before.

David

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

toman311 — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 20:47:54 GMT

That's it! Thanks! Drawing was hard with those x,y coordinates!

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

Dave Seabury — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 20:49:35 GMT

Glad it helped.

David

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

Steve Jepson — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 18:33:33 GMT

you may also find the snap grid to be helpful and the Ruler. ?

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

rob2218 — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 17:57:17 GMT

here's a question.................
Why is there even a "Line" command?
I mean. Pline will suffice with just about all the needs you could want.
And besides, if you do indeed draw "individual line segments" they merely end up getting lost, overlapped or worse yet, not noticed and you end up with "stray" single lines everywhere.............so why do we even need the LINE command?

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

Steve Jepson — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 19:18:20 GMT

rob2218 wrote:
here's a question.................
Why is there even a "Line" command?
I mean. Pline will suffice with just about all the needs you could want.
And besides, if you do indeed draw "individual line segments" they merely end up getting lost, overlapped or worse yet, not noticed and you end up with "stray" single lines everywhere.............so why do we even need the LINE command?

What Line Tool ? http://screencast.com/t/WyHczuHBVx8w

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

rob2218 — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 19:26:10 GMT

I know Steve, you are an advocate of NOT having a "LINE" tool....I agree with ya on that one.
if you want to draw a LINE, heck then just use the PLINE and draw ONE single line....that's it!

the pline has so so much more functionality than the single, segmented lines......so I'm with ya there sir. 😉

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

Steve Jepson — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 20:33:36 GMT

rob2218 wrote:
I know Steve, you are an advocate of NOT having a "LINE" tool....I agree with ya on that one.
if you want to draw a LINE, heck then just use the PLINE and draw ONE single line....that's it!

the pline has so so much more functionality than the single, segmented lines......so I'm with ya there sir. 😉

I don't think it matters if the Line Tool is there or not.

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

rob2218 — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 21:55:47 GMT

Agreed

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 12:10:09 GMT

rob2218 wrote:
I know Steve, you are an advocate of NOT having a "LINE" tool....I agree with ya on that one.
if you want to draw a LINE, heck then just use the PLINE and draw ONE single line....that's it!

..until you draw a second line, and want to intersect the second line with your first line, or fillet them with a nice smooth radius ......!

Q: Why do your fills 'leak' where 2 polylines meet?
A: Because you haven't intersected your polylines. Because you can't.

Engineers always complain that architects don't join their lines. Maybe this is why!

Re: How to Draw Lines in ArchiCAD

rob2218 — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 14:30:52 GMT

and architects always complain
That engineers have no concept of 3D
Space. They are always drawing "line segments" which have a
Different z-coordinate from beginning to end.
And when you try intersecting in plan 2 line lines that
Both have different starting and ending z-coordinates, they
Will NEVER be able to intersect.

Keith wrote:

Engineers always complain that architects don't join their lines. Maybe this is why!