Flatten and simplifying geometry.

Hi

In autocad 2007 I used to use the "flatten" command to simplify plotted gear tooth points into more managable arcs.

In 2010 this function no longer seems to work.

Anyone help me out?

Yes unfortunately flatten is no longer with us. FLATSHOT is the alternate command. Im not sure if it is available in 2010 though. If not, you can run a lisp routine to take care of it. Attached is the one I use.

FLAT.LSP

FLATSHOT is available in AutoCAD 2010. I peeked.

Good times...

Just checked. Flatten is still with us if you invoke it from the command line like I just did. The following was clipped from the AutoCAD text window:

Command: flatten

Select objects to convert to 2d...

Doesn't work for me...

The command still exists just it no longer does what it did for me before.

It still does what I want to splines, just not plotted points...

This was extremely useful before.

Impact:

You just have to be a bit more resourceful.

Is this what you were looking for?

[ATTACH]23640/[ATTACH]

FLATTEN.LSP

i suppose i could have changed the name of my lisp routine to FLATTEN....

Negatory. The lisp you provided does not do what flatten did to plotted .dxf points in 2007....

Basicly the comand used arcs to approxiamate the geometry.

This was very handy for making profiles for NC output as it greatly simplified them. It also made them much easier to work with.

The flatten command you supplied just sets the z to zero.

I have no idea why the old command did what it did for working with 2d geometry and do know some alternate methods but they take much, much longer.

My apologies for supplying the wrong command. I was unaware that the "old" flatten command used arcs to approximate geometry.

I do have access to AutoCAD 2004. Do you think the command, as you remember it, could be part of that version of AutoCAD?

Anyone know where this functionality went

Hmmm...no resolution I see to your problem. You'd think someone with AC 2007 would be able to confirm your statement re: the flatten command and how it worked.

Are you sure the command was Flatten? Was it a custom command someone created for you perhaps?

"...what flatten did to plotted .dxf points in 2007...." Used arcs you say?

I just checked my version of AC 2004 at work. There is no specific mention of the Flatten command using arcs to approximate geometry although I'm not saying that it didn't do it I just can't find any confirmation.

You could use the even older method of plotting to a DXB file and then using DBXIN to re-import the geometry.

I have never known the Flatten command to do anything to geometry other than move it to Z0. You must have been using a custom lisp routine?

Doesn't work for me...

Flatten is an Express Tool. Do you have the Express Tools loaded?

Flatten is an Express Tool. Do you have the Express Tools loaded?

No it was not installed when we upgraded to '11... I dont have access to the discs, im workin on it though..

This is a specific example of what I am looking to do. Notice the first image has equally spaced points, and the second has endpoints of varying length according to the complexity of the geometry.

I just checked my version of AC 2004 at work. There is no specific mention of the Flatten command using arcs to approximate geometry although I'm not saying that it didn't do it I just can't find any confirmation.

 

You could use the even older method of plotting to a DXB file and then using DBXIN to re-import the geometry.

Yes, you are right ReMark.

There is no Flatten command in Autocad 2004, that's why I always use Solprof command with this version.