topic Re: Tool to pick existing lines in Modeling

Tool to pick existing lines

Eske — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:35:36 GMT

Hi Everyone

I'm fairly new to AC. Having recently changed from Revit.

I'm searching for the tool to select existing linework as my boundary for my new elements like slabs and mesh. In Revit that tool is called create/ pick line from an existing line (green line with a cursor icon). I've tried magic wand, but that seems to select regions and not lines.

Any help would be much appriciated 🙂

Kind regards

Eske

Re: Tool to pick existing lines

DGSketcher — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 09:29:41 GMT

@Eske You need to play with the Magic Wand a bit more. I'm not familiar with Revit but the MW does a pretty good job and it isn't tied to creating regions / slabs, you can also use it to create poly lines.

See if this link to the Magic Wand help files offers anymore insight.

Re: Tool to pick existing lines

Eske — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 09:40:35 GMT

@DGSketcher Thanks for the help and link. Much appreciated 🙂 I'll spend some more time with the Magic Wand

Re: Tool to pick existing lines

Erwin Edel — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 10:30:31 GMT

From the phrasing of your question it sounds like you are trying to select things first with the selection tool to then draw something with line tool based on that selection marquee (or similar polyline based tool like wall, beam, etc etc). The way it works in Archicad is that you activate your tool, for example the wall tool and then use the magic wand (hotkey is spacebar) to grab the contour. You can use the TAB key to cycle through multiple selection options when holding spacebar.

This also works when you want to add things to existing polygon shapes like fills, slabs, roofs etc. Select the element, click on an edge to activate the pet palette and pick add or substract and then you can use the magic wand by pressing spacebar.

There are also seperate tools for connecting, extending, trimming etc