Moving Line While Selecting

Ok...I'm not sure how to describe this so I'll do the best I can. A coworker said he use to do something all the time in AutoCAD but doesn't know how to start the command. He said he could start a horizontal line and put it out to a length then continue the line vertically then he would move the cross hairs to where he wanted the last part of the line to end horizontally. While he is moving the cross hairs up and down, the horizontal line moves with it until he clicks where he wants the line placed. The line automatically adjusts so he doesn't have to measure how long the vertical line needs to be to get the last horizontal line spaced correctly.

Does anyone know how to do this?

Thanks.

Dawn

Do you mean ortho? If so hold shift while moving the cross hair. There is also an F toggle (F8.) if that's what it is, although I'm not sure... can you post an illustration to give an example at all?

I think how it works is you draw a line horizontal then you do something while you go down vertically to select where you want the next horizontal line. If you just draw the horizontal line and then select a place vertically below it draws a diagnal line.

I've attached a JPG to hopefully make it more clear.

Ahh I think you mean Polar Tracking and Object Snap Tracking- both can be toggled on at the bottom of the screen...

Maybe point filters (.x, .y) and ortho?

I'm not getting it to work the way I want it to.

The odd thing is a different coworker has it working on his computer but it's not working on mine nor another coworker. No one knows how to turn it on.

lpseifert, I've never used filters before so I'm not sure how to do that. Could you explain a little more?

If this command is not turned on the result would be a diagonal line from the vertical line to the bottom circle because I don't know how long to make the vertical line. Using this technique saves time in having to find the distance between the circles so my vertical line will be correct to make a straight horizontal line. I want to avoid having to find the distance and just have AutoCAD automatically find it for me while in the line command.

If you turn on the toggles I suggested, you can hover over a snap, say centre, then run vertically down to it's 'perpendicular to the horizontal'. I have no idea about point filters though lpseifert will have to explain that one...

If you have snaps (F3) turned on (I keep Endpoint, Midpoint, Quadrant, Intersection and Insertion on all the time) and have Polar Tracking (F10) turned on at the same time you will get the desired affect your looking for. You can use a graphic point filter this way as well. You can set additional angles as well under Drafting Settings for Polar Tracking to follow.

I have osnap on and polar on and I get a diagonal line, no dashed line that moves up and down with the crosshairs here. I put ortho on and osnap on and I still get a diagonal line.

I want a straight horizontal line out from the top circle then I draw the vertical line and then I take the cross hairs and hover over the bottom circle and I have a dashed line that moves with the cross hairs. That horizonal line is clicked into place when I click on the circle and the horizontal line is straight. The vertical line adjusts to the proper length.

Using this saves time because I don't have to find the distance between the circles ahead of time to draw the vertical line to the proper lenght to get a straight horizontal line.

I hope this makes it clearer.

Thanks for all your help.

Dawn

Like I said before it's object snap tracking- see my screenshot on my previous post.

Like this?

Shown again below...

lpseifert, I've never used filters before so I'm not sure how to do that. Could you explain a little more?

In the post #6....

When you start to draw the vertical line, use the point filter .y (type .y at the command line) and snap to where it says 'endpoint'. When it prompts '(need x)' continue with your cursor vertically (with ortho on). Then left click.

I must be missing something.

When I use Ortho I do not get a dashed line and there is no adjustment to the vertical line so I end up with a diagonal line when I click on the circle.

I tried using Polar Snap and I get the dashed line but it does not move with the cross hairs and when I click on the circle I get a diagonal line.

lpseifert, I looked up Point Filter in HELP and it said to see Coordinate Filter. What it said about Coordinate Filter doesn't seem to be what I'm looking for. It's a series of lines where you can continue the pattern so to speak but it's not what I'm looking for unless I just don't understand how to use this filter which very well could be the case.

I'm not sure if what I'm talking about is a dynamic feature or not, but you don't have to click on the circle you just hover for a second on the snap, then the dashed line will track on that line to the point you require as you move the crosshairs, like on my example.

Your example looks right, just that you clicked the lower point too soon- it's showing osnap tracking.

Step by step...

1. Draw a line horizontally from the first circle.

2. Hover the mouse over the snap you want on the second circle. Run the crosshairs horizontally across until it snaps perpendicular to that point, then click to set the line.

Note- don't zoom or pan as you will lose the snap point. You have OTRACK on so it should work.

Hope this helps?

Try this...

Command:

Command: LINE

Specify first point: QUA

of (pick point 1)

Specify next point or [undo]: (pick point 2)

Specify next point or [undo]: .Y

of QUA (pick point 4)

of (need XZ): (pick along vertical 3)

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: QUA

of (pick point 4)

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: *Cancel*