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disk usage


anikesh

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"Polylines are so useful, why bother using ordinary lines at all?

The most frequently given answer is that because of their complexity, polylines use up more disk space than the equivalent line. As it is desirable to keep file sizes as small as possible, it is a good idea to use lines rather than polylines unless you have a particular requirement."

 

what if after we draw a polyline and we explode it......the disk space will be same as that of normal line right.

 

so what is the actual use of a polyline??????

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With the speed and size of today's hard drives I would not worry about drawing file size with regards to the use of polylines.

 

Personally, I've been using polylines more often than lines for as long as I can remember. I just find it more convienient when it comes to using commands such as move, rotate, copy, etc. if my objects are drawn with polylines.

 

If you want to use lines instead of polylines no one is stopping you. However, if you share your drawings with others why don't you ask them if working with your drawings, comprised of lines instead of polylines, pose any significant problems. Then you'll have a definitive answer. Sound OK to you?

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I just find it more convienient when it comes to using commands such as move, rotate, copy, etc. if my objects are drawn with polylines.

shows how different we are then Mark!

 

On circuit diagrams i prefer to use polylines so that I can apply a linetype to one "branch" without having to make sure I've got all the little bits BUT it becomes a pain if one end is moved without realising the other end is still meant to connect. You have to STRETCH everything.

 

In reality, both LINES & POLYLINES have their own advantages and disadvantages. Our job is getting the balance right for the type of drawing.

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It used to be thought that polylines composing of straight lines were more efficient storagewise than individual lines because each node had one coordinate with the polyline, whereas the straight lines have to have coordinates at each end, and were therefore duplicating one set of coordinates. Nowadays I don't think that should worry you.

 

Also I used to find that if I compressed a drawing file, it would be larger than a compressed DXF file (although the DXF file was 2½ times the size uncompressed), so my early archives were compressed DXF files, and I could fit more of them on a 3½" floppy disc or even a 5¼" disc.

 

Isn't progress marvellous (in most instances) :D

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"Polylines are so useful, why bother using ordinary lines at all?

......

so what is the actual use of a polyline??????

 

I prefer lines for most things I draw. If I am creating something that

makes sense as one entity then I will use a pline.

If plines are given a widty then you can't control the width in other drawings when Xrefing them in, for instance.

Lines make sense when you are needing to offset the lines and having a single straight pline just makes no sense to me. Plines are good if you are going to offset say a rectangle 6" to create the boundary of a wall thickness.

Lines can be easily checked for the angle they are drawn at, plines can't.

Draw a line and a pline, list them both, what is the angle of the pline?

Length of lines can be modified with the change command, plines cannot.

Multiple lines can be brought to one point quickly with change, plines

cannot. Lines can be straightened to align with Ortho quickly with change, plines cannot.

If I need to show the routing of tubing and I want to show a radius at each corner then I use plines because I can fillet every corner on a pline, with lines I have to pick over and over.

Lines have the extra grip in the middle of the line, a straight pline will not. That extra grip comes in handy when modifying in certain situations when using grips.

A line inherits the elevation of the object that it is snapped to. A polyline inherits the elevation of the first point it is started at. Each one can be used to your advantage.

Start the line command, then type tan, pick an arc, notice how the line start point will move dynamically as you move the cursor; a pline will not do that.

Use every tool in autocad properly for your situation, there are no

absolutes in using or not using plines -VS- lines, and all other commands for that matter. Sometimes blocks are the way to go, sometimes groups, sometimes none at all.

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