Drawing a line at an angle with another line as the x axis?

Hi,

I have to draw a rather weird drawing with a lot of angled lines. Currently I'm using UCS to draw them but it's really tiresome.

I would draw 1 line, then type in UCS, select the X and Y axis, draw that line, escape, then hit in UCS again, rinse and repeat.

Is there a simpler way? I tried polar tracking "relative to last segment" but it still uses the x axis as the base, which is not what I want. I want the line to be the X axis.

Hi,

 

I have to draw a rather weird drawing with a lot of angled lines. Currently I'm using UCS to draw them but it's really tiresome.

 

I would draw 1 line, then type in UCS, select the X and Y axis, draw that line, escape, then hit in UCS again, rinse and repeat.

 

Is there a simpler way? I tried polar tracking "relative to last segment" but it still uses the x axis as the base, which is not what I want. I want the line to be the X axis.

Since you are using 2010 you have the benefit of Geometric and Dimensional Constraints. This allows changing of angles without having to re-draw line segments... It can be quit handy.

KC

Sounds like a simple lisp problem pick last line near end to join to enter angle change (+/-) and distance new line !

Is this what you want ?

err.. yea i think so. Pick the end of the previous line, change the angle relative to the line, and distance it.

This is a lisp thing? I'm not familiar with lisp

This is a lisp thing? I'm not familiar with lisp ??? you have made 54 posts you must have been told to use lisp for some things Autocads programing language.

Any way heres a start

(setq tp1 (entsel "\nSelect line near end : "))
(setq tpp1 (entget (car tp1)))
(setq pt1 (cdr (assoc 10 tpp1)))      ; start pt
(setq pt2 (cdr (assoc 11 tpp1)))      ; end pt
(setq pt3 (cadr tp1))
(setq d1 (distance pt1 pt3))
(setq d2 (distance pt2 pt3))
 (if (> d1 d2)
 (progn 
  (setq temp pt1)
  (setq pt1 pt2)
  (setq pt2 temp)
 )
 )   ; swap pt1 pt2 so correct end picked
 (setq ang (angle pt1 pt2))  ; ang is angle of ex line
(setq angdiff (getreal "\ntype in distance . "))
(setq newang (+ ang angdiff))

your turn now look up the polar command to work out new pt3 and then just line pt1 pt3

You can draw line with using the geometric constraint. Draw your first line that you want to use for the relative angle measurement. From the second point you can draw a line with a specified length and then put the geometrical constraint on the both line as the first one to be selected firstly so that your second lines get rotated and gets oriented to the desired angle.

-CNatka

Another way of doing it is to copy a line upon itself, and then to rotate the duplicate line about an endpoint.

Yes the method Eldon is asserting is a good one.

You can try it also.

-CNatka

Actually you can copy and rotate at the same time - no need to make a duplicate before rotating.