How to Resize Polylines and change Dimensions

[NotSoLameBen]

Hello, I've searched the forum for this and found people with similar questions but the answers that I found did not help.

 

I've created a polygon using the polyline tool, but I want to change the dimensions of the individual sides. How can I do this? Whenever I double click on the dimensions I create, I cannot alter the "measurement" field. I also cannot seem to alter the length of the line in any sort of controlled fashion and the "lengthen command" doesn't work for closed shapes. I would just use the regular line tool, but I want to be able to extrude the drawing when Im done. Any help would be very much appreciated. I just started using the program this morning, and I have quite a bit of work that needs to be done by tomorrow. Thanks!

[Tiger]

The process of altering lines via altering dimensions is not possible in regular AutoCAD. You need a parametric program (like Revit, SolidWorks mfl) for that.

 

But for this, there are several ways to do this, many in a controlled fashion. I'm assuming you're not referring to a polygon with 4 sides, but a polygon with more than 4 sides? and these are not all perpendicular to the UCS?

 

You can change the UCS to run parallell to your side (command UCS, and follow the prompts) and then use Stretch and enter your necessary lenghtening. It will distort the other lines though.

 

If you are wanting to change the lines equally much on all sides, you can use SCALE and use a scalefactor that you need to calculate beforehand.

 

A screenshot of the polygon would help in providing more solutions.

[NotSoLameBen]

It's a six sided figure resembling a rectangle but with 2 of the vertices made into short sides cut at 45 degrees. Currently, I am I working with it extruded into a solid. I'm trying the stretch command but all it seems to be doing is shifting the figure, not actually stretching it.

 

I've used Solidworks in the past, and I'm finding that everything I try to do is a lot more complicated in AutoCad 07.

[Danse_Macabre]

I am not sure how it will be different since you have 'extruded it into a solid' but if it was just a regular polyline and I needed to change individual lengths I would just explode the polyline, change the lengths, then use the PEDIT command to join the lines back into a polyline.

 

Or as was mentioned before, if each length needs to be changed the same amount you could scale the entire thing.

[Tiger]

when it is a solid then yes, Stretch will just move the figure. If it is a Polyline, and you get the prompt to Select objects, you need to use a crossing window (right to left) over just the part that you want to stretch.

 

I can imagine that it feels like working through mud if you're used to SolidWorks, but you can't really compare the two programs. Try to see AutoCAD as completely separate program and learn it from the start.

[ReMark]

See if Ctrl+select does it for you. Otherwise use the Move Faces command to alter the length of the side in question. You're working with a solid right?

[ReMark]

I think 2010 has a parametric feature now.

[Tiger]

I think 2010 has a parametric feature now.

 

oh? that would be great!

 

 

I haven't looked that deeply into 2010 since it looks like I'll be migrating to solidworks in the fall....sorry...

[NotSoLameBen]

Thanks for all the responses! Exploding the polygon worked and I was able to resize the sides, but now I cannot get the polygon back into a single polyline using PEDIT. I select all sides and use the join command, hit enter and it asks for fuzz distance. I leave that at zero and hit enter again, and nothing happens.

[Danse_Macabre]

Hmmmm, that is strange. All I can suggest is zoom in on each joint and make sure that each line is connected to the next one and try the PEDIT command again. I know that sometimes that command can be a bit finiky. Also check the properties of the lines and make sure that the Z value is zero.

 

I assume that you are typine PEDIT, then M (multiple), then picking all the lines and trying to join them? If so try PEDIT again, pick only one of the lines initially, then try JOIN, then pick the rest of the lines. It shouldn't make a difference but who knows sometimes.

[NotSoLameBen]

That did it, thanks! Once I complete a 3d model, will I be able to get AutoCAD to generate 2d drawings from the model? I've been looking into this some, and I haven't come across anything except for FLATSHOT but that doesn't seem to do what I want.

[pattyandme]

after you explode the polygon and change your lengths then use object snap to connect the lines together then join them to the group one at a time, Ive found sometimes i need to redraw a line that simply will not join to the rest of the lines.

Once closed you could sweep the polyline object along an axis of the extruded length your looking for

or thicken the line to the length then convert to solid.

[ReMark]

2D geometry can be generated from 3D models in several ways.

 

Flatshot.

 

Solprof.

 

Solview/Soldraw.

 

Each has its own pros and cons.

[Danse_Macabre]

From what little I know of 3D in CAD you should be able to do that. The only way I really know how would be to go to 'view' - '3D views' - then select whichever view you want (top, bottom, side, etc). I don't know if it will let you plot from this view or not, if it does let me know, I would be interested to find out.

[Danse_Macabre]

Sounds like ReMark knows what he is talking about better than I do, I would listen to him....haha.

[NotSoLameBen]

So far I've tried Solview and Solprof and so far all I see are cons. I use the ucs command to setup the correct view, but I get confused whenever the Solview command starts prompting me to

 

Specify view center:

Specify view center :

Specify first corner of viewport:

Specify opposite corner of viewport:

 

Then when I'm all done, I have my views stacked atop one another, some of them being large, others being small, and everything is behind a wire frame of the original layout view.