Dynamic block creation question

Greetings to all. I am using AutoCad Architecture 2011 and I am in the midst of creating a simple line drawing of a bifold door. I have two lines. Each at opposing 45 degree angles. The objective is to have each line segment equal to half the distance measured between two points. For example; if the door opening is 2' wide each line of the bifold doors should be 1' in length if measured diagonally. The result would be a line, if stretched out, would equal 2'.

I've created a block that can stretch and rotate but I just can't figure out the height to length ratio thing.

Can you help?

To keep it simple, since you are using just two lines for your door representation, you could use a Scale Parameter instead of stretch. It will work for regular swing doors too. Scale would not work if you were drawing the door thickness as part of your block since the door thickness would change with the scale, but lines don't scale in weight. Drafting-wise, the door is merely a symbolic representation of the type of door, and swing direction anyway.

Your 2' door would become 30" scaled to 1.25, 36" scaled to 1.5, and so on. It might take some math to get some of the scale factors figured out for custom doors, but I seem to remember the standard residential sizes are 24", 30", 32" & 36". Just make sure x and y are scaled equally.

Getting fancier, you could set your scale parameter to work incrementally in the scale factors for the standard door sizes.

So that I understand your answer. I know how to create a scale parameter but how will that work so that the length of each line would equal the total opening distance? I'm not quite following you..

Thanks

post your block and somebody will walk you through their solution (theer will be many solutions). Just remember that your scale factor need not be 1:1. I would have expected a "list" distance parameter cound activate a move (rh door) & two scale factors (one for each door).

Why a Dynamic Block? Instead, why not use AEC Objects instead? Since you're using AutoCAD Architecture (aka ACA), you're missing out on a lot more benefits by staying with standard Dynamic Blocks.

So that I understand your answer. I know how to create a scale parameter but how will that work so that the length of each line would equal the total opening distance? I'm not quite following you..

Thanks

Your lines are 12" long. Scaled up by a factor of 1.5, each line would be .5 longer, 6" longer. Thus you would now have a 30" bi-fold door.

Why a Dynamic Block? Instead, why not use AEC Objects instead? Since you're using AutoCAD Architecture (aka ACA), you're missing out on a lot more benefits by staying with standard Dynamic Blocks.

That's the best answer. With AutoCAD Architecture, creating blocks for things that already exist is, at best, only a learning exercise.

Thanks guys for responding. I'll think what I'll try to do is take the dynamic block of the bifold door provided with the program and change the image slightly so that I get just two lines for the doors and one line each for the frame.

JamFam

Thanks guys for responding. I'll think what I'll try to do is take the dynamic block of the bifold door provided with the program and change the image slightly so that I get just two lines for the doors and one line each for the frame.

JamFam

Save it as a different block name. You may want to keep the original, of course. I have had the experience of having to re-do certain parameters if I change an object, say within a stretch area, or attached to the stretch point, for instance.