Polyline Width

[ML_Halcrow]

My first post here, so please be gentle with me.

I have generated a series of polylines - these represent roads within a road network. I need to change the widths of the polylines to represent the traffic flows on the roads as a ratio to the lowest flow. The flows and the ratios are contained in an excel spreadsheet. The question is is it possible to automate this process as I am likely to do this more than once as the traffic flow numbers come from a traffic model and is likely to change.

Please be gentle with me as I am fairly new to AutoCAD - I only work with the basic stuff in the AutoCAD.

Many thanks.

[rkmcswain]

Do you happen to be running AutoCAD Map (as opposed to vanilla AutoCAD)?

[ML_Halcrow]

Do you happen to be running AutoCAD Map (as opposed to vanilla AutoCAD)?

I have not heard of AutoCAD Map - so I guess the answer is no I am not running AutoCAD Map.

[Fire_col]

Run the polyline edit command, PEDIT.
The command bar will ask you: Select polyline or [Multiple]:
Type M and hit enter if you want more than one line to have the same properties.
The command bar will then give you a series of options to choose. Type W for width.
Command bar will now ask that you specify the new width for all segments. Simply type in your desired width. Et voila! Your line is now at it's desired width.

As you already know your flows and ratios though, I would be tempted to create specific linetypes and layers for each one with the width preset, then it's easy peasy and you won't have to run PEDIT.

[nassie]

there is another way to do it more mass...
quick select
polylines
choose the width (i.e. equal/grater....)
and you change the width in the 'properties' box

[ML_Halcrow]

I think you guys missed my point - I need a fully automated process to do this via VBA (or similar). Basically each road has different flows. I don't really want to sit down and go through hundreds of polylines and changing its widths one by one and don't forget they would all have different widths (different volumes).

[Fire_col]

I don't think you'd need a routine for that. If you use layers for the diffent roads then all you would need to do is isolate that layer for that road the run Pedit select all, or bring up properties as Nassie suggested and change the width there

[ReMark]

The OP doesn't want to use Pedit or any other normal AutoCAD command. I think he would need a custom lisp routine to accomplish the task.

[rkmcswain]

I think you guys missed my point - I need a fully automated process to do this...

I understood what you meant. AutoCAD Map is built to do things like this. Without it, you'll need a custom app.

[rkmcswain]

I don't think you'd need a routine for that. If you use layers for the diffent roads then all you would need to do is isolate that layer for that road the run Pedit select all, or bring up properties as Nassie suggested and change the width there

But that doesn't solve the problem of how to automatically update the geometry when the database changes.